The Apostle Paul warned: Strong delusion is coming before the appearance of the man of lawlessness, i.e., the antichrist. A great of falling away will arise from the midst of the church, the apostate church. ...

1. ULDAH MINISTRY
LETTER TO THE
BROTHERS AND
SISTERS IN CHRIST
【GREAT APOSTASY FROM THE END
TIME CHRISTIAN CHURCH】
Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our
being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers and sisters, 2
not
to become easily unsettled or alarmed by the teaching
allegedly from us – whether by a prophecy or by word of
mouth or by letter – asserting that the day of the Lord has
already come. 3
Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for
that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man
of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to
destruction. 4
He will oppose and will exalt himself over
everything that is called God or is worshipped, so that he sets
himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God.
5
Don’t you remember that when I was with you I used to
tell you these things? 6
And now you know what is holding
him back, so that he may be revealed at the proper time. 7
For
the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one
who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken
out of the way. 8
And then the lawless one will be revealed,
whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his
mouth and destroy by the splendour of his coming. 9 The
coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how
Satan works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through
signs and wonders that serve the lie, 10
and all the ways that
wickedness deceives those who are perishing. They perish
because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. 11
For
this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they
will believe the lie 12
and so that all will be condemned who
have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.
Stand firm
13
But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers and
sisters loved by the Lord, because God chose you as
firstfruits to be saved through the sanctifying work of the
Spirit and through belief in the truth. 14
He called you to this
through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our
Lord Jesus Christ. 15
So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm
and hold fast to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by
word of mouth or by letter. 16
May our Lord Jesus Christ
himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace
gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, 17
encourage
平成２９年 ２月 月報
フルダ・ミニストリー
ー主に在る
とこしえの集いー
FEBRUARY 2017
NO 256
Eternal Fellowship
News Bulletin
We believe in one GOD, in three
persons; FATHER, SON and
HOLY SPIRIT. We regard the
Bible (both Hebrew Bible and
New Testament) as the only
infallible authoritative
WORD OF GOD.
HULDAH MINISTRY aims to return
to the Word Of God, founded on
Hebrew background and to interpret
it from Hebraic perspective,
acknowledging that Jesus is a Jew
and the Jewish-ness of His teaching
as a continuation from the Hebrew
Bible. The Ministry also aims to put
His teaching into practice, to have a
closer relationship with the Lord,
Jesus Christ, and to regularly have
a Christian fellowship so that this-
worldly kingdom of God will
materialise in the midst of the
followers of Jesus here and now, as
well as earnestly seeking Christ's
Return to establish the otherworldly
Kingdom of God on earth.
All activities are free of charge and no obligation
whatever. Just enjoy our fellowship!
huldahministry.blogspot.jp
huldahministry.com
information@huldahministry.com

2. 2
your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word. 2THESSALONIANS 2.
In the passage quoted above, the apostle Paul elaborates on prophetic warnings that the
Lord’s second coming would not come until there should be a great apostasy, followed by a
revelation of ‘the man of lawlessness’, or ‘the man of sin’, i.e., the antichrist, who would be
opposed to God, would exalt himself above all that is called God and would set himself up in
God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God. Paul’s emphasis is placed on the fact that His
coming would be after the working of Satan bringing about strong delusion, powerful signs,
miracles and lying wonders. Paul here proposes the correction of the false rumor to the church in
Thessalonica, where some of the disciples had misunderstood and misrepresented Paul’s
preaching about the second coming of Christ as if it had already taken place.
Concerning ‘God’s temple’ in verse 4, there are two interpretations. One views it as ‘Holy of
Holies’ in God’s Temple in Jerusalem, as the early church fathers understood it as a literal,
eschatological Jewish Temple. On the other hands, the phrase is several times used with the
reference to Christ’s flock, the church. As the followers of Christ have nothing to do with the
place where the sacrifices should be offered once that God sent His Son to die once and for all to
pay the price for sin, so the phrase would not refer to a physical building but could be used as a
metaphor for the church, God’s dwelling place, i.e., the body of believers called the church. For
example, Paul clearly mentioned: ‘Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and
that God’s Spirit lives among you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that
person; for God’s temple is sacred, and you together are that temple’ (1 Co.3:16-17, lines
added). If the latter interpretation is adopted, this signifies an important message that the
antichrist will rise from the middle of an eschatological church, i.e., an end time church.
In verses 6-7, Paul foresees the restrainer who prevents the premature manifestation of the
man of lawlessness, or who restrains the development of satanic iniquity to a certain future period.
Although he does not clarify what is referred to by the phrase ‘what is holding him back’, he
first presents it in the neuter gender, as an impersonal operative force but in the following verse in
the masculine gender, which might be interpreted as some state or things under the control of an
individual or some civil power or otherwise, the Holy Spirit. In other words, God’s Spirit would
prevent the development of iniquity until God’s appointed time. Probably, its completion would
not be permitted until the gospel should be extensively preached to the end of the world. In this
chapter, Paul reminds the Thessalonians who were then in the midst of trials, of the warnings that
all those who do not love the truth would be condemned, which he could even then foresee that
fairly long succession of years’ events would intervene before the Lord’s coming, and it would be
completed in a process of development with a series of pretended miracles, lying wonders, false
teachings, false prophecies and great illusions from that time to even to the present.
While the current global movements of church have been more exposing the tendency of
human nature to degeneracy than ever, the elements of that great and corrupt apostasy already
existed even in apostolic times. Many believe that those developments have steadily grown into
the system of the papacy. The course of events would be allowed to occur so that all those who
do not love the truth and prefer this erroneous system and delusion to the simple and pure gospel
of Christ would be ultimately condemned when the Lord will appear. However, Paul encourages
genuine Christ’s followers as God’s elected from eternity, to stand firm and hold fast to the
teachings which they had received from himself to the end amidst all the surrounding temptations.
Articles below would be helpful to know how to discern things present and ahead around us.
The man of sin will come wielding demonic power in a variety of forms for a variety of functions. He will
not call it “demonic power;” he will have another no doubt impressive name for it. The man of sin will come
bearing gifts: long-hidden, suddenly-revealed technologies; supernatural signs, lying wonders and apparent
miracles. This will especially beguile those who gather in the buildings called churches and who crave such
miracles, signs and wonders. The man of sin will make many “feel good about themselves” because the
man of sin will place a heavy emphasis on “self.” At least at first. The man of sin will speak great things and

3. 3
words of great promise: peace, love, brotherhood, tolerance. However, as the world’s masses will find out, it
will be the man of sin who defines what these words mean. The man of sin will promise a “new age”
emphasizing the potential, will and abilities of man. Because the man of sin will set himself up as a god, he
will blaspheme and attack God Almighty of the Bible and His Son, Jesus Christ. The man of sin will tolerate
NO rivals. The man of sin will be thought of as a great spiritual leader. Because the world has been long
deceived, many will mistake “spiritual” for “holy.” Because the world does not love the truth and loves to be
lied to, it will be deluded into worshiping the man of sin’s other beast and the dragon [Satan]. God Almighty
Himself will assist in furthering men’s delusion (https://endtimesprophecyreport.com/2016/10/29/man-of-sin).
The following article is an excerpt from ‘The Bethel Church Upgrade’ by Pastor Rod Page
(Discernment Newsletter in Sep. /Oct. 2016), which gives us a good perspective.
In this day and age where everything is seen from a marketing standpoint, as far as publishers and
agents and business in general, it is no surprise that this would happen from within the headquarters of a
now worldwide movement—Bethel Church in Redding, California. …
Bethel bailed out the Civic Auditorium and is running it well from all indications. Bethel is also becoming
a major property owner. They have bought and improved several commercial properties and hope to
increase their School of Supernatural Ministry to 3000 students in the next few years. (It is currently around
1400.) They want to build a museum of revival in Americana and have spent around $40,000 to purchase
one man's memorabilia collection of articles from major “moves of God” going back into the 1950s. …
A few weeks ago I listened to a message by Kris Vallotton, who is the number two leader at Bethel. Kris
is known for saying things that are edgy and even shocking. What struck me about his “message” was the
new angle of reasonability and normalcy that it seemed to emulate. Back when the “Toronto Blessing” was
inundating congregations with outlandish barking and howling, and people falling out in gatherings, where
“holy laughter” was taught as a new thing that the Spirit was doing, Bethel embraced it whole hog. (Pun
intended.) At that time in early 1996 there was a mass exodus from Bethel church. They went from two
services on Sundays to one. But within a couple of years they began to grow again. Like other churches
they didn't divorce themselves from the teachings behind the manifestations. Instead they changed the
outward appearances to be more settled, more reasonable, more attractive. (Although I would say that there
still are, and always will be, outlandish worship activities that are nothing but sensual in nature and do not
bring glory to God within their meetings, it is just not as “out there” as it used to be.) This new upgrade
season, that is indicated by Kris Vallotton's recent message, is just one in a series of attempts to bring
legitimacy to a movement that I believe wants to be believable and acceptable, not only to their peers within
the charismatic world, but even wider into the evangelical world as well. In the end, I think they want to
impress the world around them. They believe they already are a “city on a hill” and that they are defeating
the “religious spirit” of the old way of doing Christianity. If you would like to see the documentation and
history of Bethel Church, and others they are connected to in the New Apostolic Reformation, there is much
written on this movement on Herescope's website. By the way, in Kris' upgraded book titled Heavy Rain, C.
Peter Wagner (New Apostolic Reformation) gives a hardy endorsement. For more information on Wagner
search Herescope as well. …
Bethel Church has an outward form of power. They talk about power, write about power and blog about
it all day. Their meetings are “powerful” in the realm of music and lighting, drama and artistic creativity. All
these things are outward forms. This is the root meaning behind the exact description of the end times
apostate church movement described in 2 Timothy 3. After describing perilous times where the culture is in
deep bondage to sin, and is described as lovers of themselves (Kris loves to say about his own preaching,
“That is a really good word”), lovers of money (Bethel is a money machine, as are most connected
ministries and churches in their sphere), boasters, proud, blasphemers, etc., the aging apostle Paul says in
verse 5, “having a form of godliness, but denying its power.” True godliness has a spiritual power that
defeats sin and brings about holiness, sincerity, humility, and an ability to powerfully proclaim the Gospel in
word and deed. A holy life is a powerful life, not a life that twists the promises of God meant for a future time
and holds the church hostage with a carrot of constantly changing new things, paradigms, methodologies,
and new signs and wonders.

4. 4
Bethel is saying the same things they and others have been saying since the Latter Rain movement
was hatched in 1949, which was soundly refuted by leaders of the Assemblies of God who found it to be
spurious and extrabiblical in nature. No “wonder” that Bethel Church broke away from the AOG ten years
ago last January. They wanted no real oversight. Kris Vallotton is speaking the same message that other
false teachers have been speaking for at least 68 years. It is nuanced now and made to sound more
“biblical.” He quotes from Romans 4:17, saying, “Abraham is not the father of Israel, but the father of
nations.” He says this means we are to be fathering nations—that if the church does not father, lead or
commandeer (I suppose) DISCERNMENT PAGE 4 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016 PO BOX 520 –
CANTON, TX 75103-0520 the nations, we are not following in Father Abe's steps, as he believes the New
Testament teaches. (The New Testament does not, of course, teach this.) …
I remember the first time I opened a book by a Bethel leader, titled When Heaven Invades Earth by Bill
Johnson. I remember the tremendous emphasis, not on the Word of God, but on word of faith, on signs and
wonders and socalled power ministry. Now, it seems, they are countering criticism for their neglect of the
teaching of God's Word in their church, and are trying to gain acceptance by quoting more verses of the
same Bible that they have seriously dissed for years. I have been to their meetings and seen firsthand that
most attendees do not even carry a Bible with them because they don't need it very often. Usually they
“worship” for an hour or so. Then someone comes and starts with the Bible, and then it is time to share the
“new thing God is doing,” which includes testimonies of so-called miracles and signs and wonders. I believe
in the present work of the Holy Spirit in the earth. I believe in miracles and have experienced them. I believe
some have a gift of faith and I have witnessed it being used for the glory of God. But I believe that anything
we have or know can be turned into an idol or, at the least, an obsession. Bethel obsesses over miracles.
Bill Johnson for years has modeled this emphasis. It is the modus operandi of his church. Kris Vallotton and
all the other leaders of the movement have to fall in line or they are out. Nothing has changed at Bethel but
they are talking slightly different now.... trying their best to put a Biblical stamp of approval on their tired
theories and “new” ideas, many of which have more roots in the New Age movement than in the Gospel of
Jesus. …
Years ago a friend of mine developed throat cancer. He had a family and a wife and was in the prime of
his life. He loved to serve the church we attended by doing practical help for anyone who was in need. If a
car needed repair, he would find a way to fix it. If someone needed a ride, he provided it. He loved the Lord
and yet he got very sick. Our church at that time declared that he would recover—that God had told them he
would beat the cancer. It did not happen that way. My friend died from the cancer, an agonizing death
witnessed by his kids and wife and by all of us. A few months afterwards we were talking with some friends
who happened to also be on the church staff. They told us that my friend had given up the battle and his
lack of faith was the reason he died. Those words burned in me. They disgusted me. They maligned my
friend’s memory and character. The church had lied. Likewise, Bethel is lying today when it says the same
types of things. If you look closely at the leadership there, they are living a lie. They are living a lie in
hypocrisy because their current pastor needs glasses and the son of the pastor is still deaf. So whose fault
is this in their scheme of things? People in Redding and at Bethel get cancer and still get sick, so is the
problem with God or with their faith… or with Bethel’s defective teaching? …
Much more can be said about this movement that is Bethel Church. Though it is constantly upgrading
its message to bring more and more people and churches into its orbit, please beware of the dangers in its
teaching. The “upgrade” is really a downgrade—a sophisticated and wellmarketed ploy to repackage the old
Latter Rain heresy of the 1940s that has roots deep in the darkness of the old Gnostics that were plaguing
the church at the time the New Testament was being written. Certainly the preacher of Ecclesiastes was
right: “there is nothing new under the sun.”
Do not let anyone lead you astray to anything less than the glorious truths found in God's Word, even if
it sounds innovative and relevant, and has really good music high up on the iTunes charts (Bethel’s rock
group Jesus Culture). Keep your eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith! Keep looking up for
your redemption draws nigh! Beware, beware, beware and don’t settle for anything less!
(http://www.discernment-ministries.com/Newsletters/NL2016SepOct.pdf, Line added)