HOREMOW Issues and Concerns

Regretfully I need to publicize some issues and concerns that I have with the Holiness Revival Movement Worldwide (HOREMOW), based in Nigeria. Brother Paul Rika, who is the International Director, and whom I had considered to be a friend, leads it. He is married to sister Linda Paul Rika, formerly Linda Ngaujah, who is originally from Sierra Leone. I had previously published her testimony of heaven and hell, but have since removed that article due to my concerns.

Linda Paul Rika

The Scripture says not to receive an accusation against an elder, except by the testimony of two or three witnesses. So I have confirmed the following details through interviews with Michael Thomas Sambo and Jeff Zanni, who is a retired Air Commodore with the Nigerian military.

False Prophecies
Since Linda received her original revelation, she has taken to prophesying future events that do not come to pass. For example, she falsely prophesied the winner of the Nigerian presidential election. The person she prophesied would be the next president was not the person who won the election. While I have known about this for quite some time, I have chosen to remain silent about it until now. But I can no longer remain silent, because she has given many other prophecies that did not come true.

She also prophesied about a certain governor of a Nigerian state, who was seriously wounded in a plane crash. After the crash he was airlifted to the US where he received medical care and later returned to Nigeria to govern the state. A meeting was arranged with the Governor to be prayed for by a team of ministers from HOREMOW with Paul Rika in attendance. During the meeting she prophesied that he would recover from his injuries and go back to his job as governor. However, to this day he has not gone back. His term of office ended while he was still sick, and another person was elected in his place. To this day he is unable to hold office.

There was another case where a Nigerian governor actually died in a plane crash, who had been a Christian. His deputy, a Muslim took over in line with the Nigerian Constitution. Linda prophesied that a Christian governor would replace him. However, another Muslim succeeded him, not a Christian, so once again Linda’s prophecy never came to pass.

At a HOREMOW event in Bauchi State, Nigeria in 2013, where Linda was a guest speaker, she also prophesied that the Boko Haram terrorist group in Nigeria would end that year. She prophesied that the Lord said He would take out Boko Haram Himself. In fact, Jeff Zanni was also a guest speaker at that same program and heard her prophecy. However, Boko Haram did not end after that, so her prophecy did not come to pass. In fact that group has gotten worse, and is still killing people. They are still there and have even sworn allegiance to ISIS.

Although I am not saying Linda's original testimony was not true or genuine, all of these false prophecies she has been giving call into question anything she now says or has ever said in the name of the Lord. Therefore, the warning of our Lord Jesus to beware of false prophets applies to her in this case:

"Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. "So then, you will know them by their fruits. Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.'" (Mat 7:15-23)

Ungodly Treatment of Michael Sambo
Moreover, she has attacked my friend, brother Michael Thomas Sambo. She has attacked his calling, his family, his ministry, and his revelation that he had of heaven and hell. In fact, she had said it's the spirit of Allah using brother Michael. Her husband, Paul Rika, had been brother Michael’s spiritual father. In fact, he transcribed Michael’s testimony from a video recording and published it as a book, called Divine Revelation of God's Holiness and Judgment. When it was initially published, he seized control of it by giving Michael a legally binding statement drafted by a lawyer to sign, which stated that Michael gave up all rights to royalties from the book to Paul Rika, and that Michael would only have the content of the book to defend. At that time, Michael was young and did not fully understand the implication of what he was signing. Now Paul Rika has informed him that the 300 free books he initially gave him to hand out for evangelism were his full share in the royalties, and that he has no rights to the book. Paul says the book belongs to him. This is amazing, since the book contains Michael’s own testimony as given by Michael himself. While I do not know his motives for claiming exclusive rights to the book, I do know that selfishness, greed, and covetousness have no part in the kingdom of God. Moreover, the revelations the Lord has given us are not for sale, as I have written in my article, The Sale of Christian Music and Art -- A Robbers' Den?

Paul Rika, pastor and International Director of HOREMOW

Furthermore, Paul Rika has now gone so far as to tell Michael that he is backslidden, his name is not written in the Book of Life, and he is under God’s judgment. He told Mike that he does not even have any future ministry in HOREMOW. Subsequently in a private meeting with Jeff Zanni, Paul told Jeff that Mike was backslidden, that he had abandoned ministry, and that a prophecy was given through Linda his wife that Mike’s name was no longer written in the Book of Life. This seems like an abuse of spiritual gifts, since prophecy is not meant to be used to judge people, but to edify, encourage, and comfort the Body of Christ (1 Cor 14:3-4). Paul said that Mike loved the things of this world and had gone after money by establishing a poultry farm. The implication was that it was not right for a preacher to own a poultry farm. Jeff responded by saying that he did not see thing anything in the Bible to prohibit a preacher from owning property. During that meeting, the two men also prayed together.

Subsequently Michael received two invitations to speaking engagements that were independent of HOREMOW. But he felt that he needed to clear it with his spiritual father before going to those engagements. Mike felt that no preacher who is backslidden or whose name was no longer in the Book of Life should be speaking for the Lord, so he wanted to know if Paul would authorize him to go and speak. In an email he sent to Paul about this, he said in part, "...In my understanding, I think I am on discipline. I have been praying before the Lord on all that was discussed and feel that as a son in the Lord, I need a clearance on my state before I am engaged to preach. Please sir, I am confused." However, all of his attempts to reach Paul went unanswered up to the dates of these engagements and Mike did not go to either one. He did not see any reason that he should do so, since Paul considered him to be a backslider.

Michael Thomas Sambo

Afterward, on 22nd  September 2015, Paul convened a meeting of HOREMOW leaders as a sort of council or hearing, so that Paul could decide Mike’s case. According to Mike, the meeting lasted nearly five hours. Paul reviewed the matter of Mike’s failure to fulfill his two speaking engagements, and characterized his actions as "evil". Then he asked Mike what he had to say in defense of himself.

Mike responded in part by saying, "Before I go on to explain why I acted that way, I still want to apologize again before I explain. I'm very, very sorry. I'm not going to defend myself." Then in his detailed explanation of his actions, he said something like this: “Sir, you told me my name is not in the Book of Life, that I am backslidden, and that I don’t even have any more future in HOREMOW to do any ministry, and that I should go and pray." And Mike continued, "Sir, you did not confirm to me in response to my email that I should go and speak. I called you on the phone, but you did not answer. I texted you, but still received no response. I emailed you, but you did not answer me. The day came and went, and since I did not receive any answer from you, I did not go to speak.”

In a short, fifteen-minute clip of the meeting that I watched, Mike got down on his knees facing Paul, who was seated, and said he was deeply sorry. He made it clear that his intention was not to run away from Paul, to hurt him, or to compete with him. He pleaded for forgiveness for any way in which he had offended anyone. He said once again, "I'm very sorry."

In response to this, Paul said that he himself had moved very slowly on this matter for months, wondering, "What do I do?" He said he had continued that way until the day before the present meeting was held. He said he had been given "two verdicts" for Mike, but he only elaborated on one of them initially, which was the one that would apply if Mike felt he had finished apprenticeship and wanted to have his own ministry. He said if that was what Mike wanted, they would pray for him and give him all the support he needed. Mike could still be a minister in HOREMOW. They would use him any time they wanted, but he would be on his own. "Whatever assistance we want to give you or you need from the movement, fine. The materials you need you have access to those. You have access to me for any help you need. You have your liberty. I think this is a good option, if you consider it so." He indicated that Mike could come and go any time he wanted and would be one of the HOREMOW leaders. He asked Mike how he would like to proceed.

There was a long pause for a couple minutes as Mike knelt before the group. Then Mike said he was not in a position to make a choice at that moment. He needed time to go and pray about it before he would make a decision, since it was very serious.

He asked Paul whether his apology was accepted. However, while all this was being video recorded, Paul said, "As for apology, right from the beginning [I have said that] it's only...the act is before the Lord. I have said it. The act is before the Lord. So you are not making apology [to me]. You are making apology to the house and before the Lord." As Paul paused to wait for Mike's decision on which verdict he would choose, Mike replied, "I don't have the answer, sir. I don't have the answer."

Then Paul, pressed for a response, saying, "Do you choose so or do you not choose so." He had given Mike a choice: Mike could either go and have his own ministry with the possibility of speaking at HOREMOW events, or else he could stay in HOREMOW and only do whatever Paul says he must do. He reiterated that the second option was that if Mike chose to remain in HOREMOW, he would be saying to Paul, "I want to remain with you, as a minister under your command." He also said that the first option was that Mike would not be under his command. He once again repeated that the second option was, "You are under my command! Then I will take decision on you as a minister under my command."  He gave examples of what that would mean, saying he would be managing Mike's activities each step of the way, saying, "Back again. Go here before you go. Do this before you do it." He asked Mike if that is what he wanted or if he wanted to be able to go and conduct his ministry without such restrictions.

Mike simply replied, "I want the will of God, sir."

Paul replied, "You want the will of God. You have a right to the will of God for you."

Mike responded, "I want us to pray."

Paul replied, "Then I will take this decision. You are now on discipline. You will stop all ministry and go to pray to recover your Christian life, because this thing you did offended the Lord. That the Lord's people were crying out and just your stubbornness -- stubbornness, just because you would not submit. You allowed the name of the Lord to suffer shame. You allowed the Lord to be grieved over the message the Lord has given you. You offended God. So you will go and have your time to recover, [his words after this were inaudible]. I want to make sure I walk with a holy man, a righteous man. I will journey very far. And the eyes of God are upon Holiness Revival Movement, and we must give God the best. You are coming short of the best. Your life has to be improved. You must attend to righteousness and holiness. You've behaved badly. So I have placed you on discipline indefinitely until such time as God has finished working in your life." He also told him he needed to go take care of his communications, remain where he is there, and “be faithful to fellowship, being careful to attend all meetings, but no ministry."

When Jeff heard this, he later challenged Paul’s decision publicly, since it seemed quite harsh. Paul replied by asking Jeff whether he would have challenged Moses’ decision, if he had been present when Moses consulted with God about a certain man who had sinned, whom God said should be stoned to death. In saying this, he implied that the Lord told him to discipline Mike indefinitely. It's interesting that Paul related himself to Moses, rather than the Lord Jesus, who said, "Neither do I condemn you," when those gathered around Him were ready to stone the woman caught in adultery, and asked Him what He thought should be done with her (Joh 8:11). The Law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ (Joh 1:17).

When Paul had finished placing Mike on indefinite discipline, he said, "Everybody will pray with you to help that you recover. And I want to ensure that all the nuances that are going around, 'Pastor Rika is in trouble.' or "Pastor Rika and Michael Sambo are in conflict.' Those nuances must be stopped! All people forming cliques everywhere. I see there's two cliques now -- one for Pastor Rika, one for Michael Sambo. It must disappear! You will come back as a son walking with his father. And we must walk in righteousness and holiness." He said all of this while remaining seated in his chair and while Mike remained kneeling on the floor in front of him in the middle of the room.

Incidentally, in that meeting, Paul denied that he ever told Mike that his name was not written in the Book of Life. Jeff Zanni was there in the meeting, as one of the people Paul considered a HOREMOW leader. He knew that Paul had told him privately that Mike’s name was not in the Book of Life, but he did not want to embarrass Paul publicly, so he did not say anything at the leaders’ meeting. He assumed that perhaps Paul had forgotten, so he held his peace.

However, a few days later, Jeff spoke to Paul privately. He told him in no uncertain terms that he wasn’t happy with Paul’s handling of Mike and his case. Jeff reminded him of the private meeting they previously had together, in which Paul told him that Mike’s name was not in the Book of Life, and he also reminded Paul of other details of that meeting. However, Paul was speechless. Jeff told him to apologize to Mike, but he did not. Instead he began telling false stories about Mike and even about Jeff himself. In doing so, Paul is acting as if he is does not need to be accountable to anybody, including the elders within his own organization. For example, one of the claims Paul has made several times is that Mike did not apologize to him. However, I have seen the video recording, showing Mike apologizing multiple times, which I have documented in this article. Both Mike and Jeff have released Paul in their hearts and they have peace inside, because the Lord knows and sees what is happening.

Revelations Equal to the Bible
Another issue I have with HOREMOW is that Paul Rika says that when a revelation is given and it is confirmed to be from God, that revelation is equal to the Bible. So his wife Linda gives dreams and revelations on people, and he believes them and acts on them based on whatever she says. This is an unbiblical practice that is very dangerous. It leads to all kinds of error, both doctrinal and practical. It has been and is being used to manipulate, abuse, and hurt people seriously, as has been done to brother Michael.

As we have already seen, people can make false prophecies that do not come to pass, as with Linda's prophecies. If those are considered equal to Scripture, then many people will be led astray. That would mean these messages are inerrant and become elevated to the level of Scripture. In other words, each prophecy would hold the same authority as Scripture. Or else it is regarded as another rule that Christians must obey, besides the Bible. The end result is that such prophecies and revelations end up superseding Scripture, because they are regarded as authoritative and binding upon all Christians, even if they contradict the Bible. This essentially nullifies the Word of God. The fact is that no prophecy carries the same authority as Scripture, and must either conform to the Word of God or be ignored.

The apostle Paul said, "For we know in part and we prophesy in part." (1Co 13:9). Our sole rule of faith is the Bible, and prophesies are meant to strengthen, edify, and encourage the Body of Christ (1 Cor 14:3).

Also see my article Scripture Alone.

Use of the Title "Daddy"
Another issue I have with HOREMOW is people calling Paul Rika by the title "Daddy." Jesus commanded, "And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven." (Mt 23:9, NIV). In light of what our Lord commanded, I once asked Paul in February 2014 why he allows people to call him "Daddy," since it means father. However, he never replied to me. Daddy and father are two synonymous words. If we are not to call any man by this title, we should also not let any man address us that way, since it would be sin. There is absolutely no Scriptural basis at all for calling any man Father or Daddy.

Remarrying Your First Spouse
Likewise, I do not see any Scriptural basis for the teaching of Paul Rika and HOREMOW, regarding remarrying one's first spouse. They teach that if someone has been remarried after divorce, they must return to their first spouse.

First of all, as I stated in my article, Divorce -- Two Divine Revelations, I agree that the ideal situation is to be reconciled with your first spouse and get remarried to that person. Simply repenting for committing the sin of divorce and not going back to your spouse is not enough. You must make restitution!

However, if your first spouse has already been remarried, I do not see any Scripture that allows you to remarry that person. Even if their second spouse divorces them or dies, the Bible teaches that it is an abomination for you to remarry your first spouse once they have been married to someone else.

"When a man takes a wife and marries her, and it happens that she finds no favor in his eyes because he has found some indecency in her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce and puts it in her hand and sends her out from his house, and she leaves his house and goes and becomes another man's wife, and if the latter husband turns against her and writes her a certificate of divorce and puts it in her hand and sends her out of his house, or if the latter husband dies who took her to be his wife, then her former husband who sent her away is not allowed to take her again to be his wife, since she has been defiled; for that is an abomination before the LORD, and you shall not bring sin on the land which the LORD your God gives you as an inheritance.” (Deu 24:1-4).

Likewise, the Lord declared through the prophet Jeremiah, "If a husband divorces his wife And she goes from him And belongs to another man, Will he still return to her? Will not that land be completely polluted?" (Jer 3:1)

Therefore, the only scenario in which Scripture allows you to remarry your first spouse, in my opinion, is when neither of you have been remarried after divorcing.  In fact, if you have been divorced and neither you nor your spouse have been remarried, you should certainly repent and remarry your spouse if he or she is willing to do so. However, there is no biblical basis for remarriage to one's first spouse after divorce and remarriage has already occurred. Doing so would violate the Word of God, and teaching people to do so would nullify one of God's commandments.

Our Lord said, "Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. "For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven." (Mat 5:17-20)

In July 2015, I brought all of this to the attention of Paul Rika by sending him my article on Divorce, which contains the section above on remarrying your first spouse that I have just quoted from (except for a couple, recent, minor revisions), and asking for his input. However, he never responded to me.

For more on this topic, please see Adultery According to Jesus.

Putting it All Together
All of this needs to be evaluated based on the Word of God. First of all, we are not to listen to a false prophet, but rather expose them. If someone is giving prophetic predictions that do not come true, then they have proven to be a false prophet. We should not listen to anything else they say. Secondly, if someone is using prophecy to judge or control people, they are abusing the gift of the Holy Spirit, and are in need of church discipline. Thirdly, we must not make any prophecy or revelation equal to Scripture, since that is not the purpose of the prophetic, and we only prophesy in part (1 Cor 13:9). Fourthly, there is to be no division in the Body of Christ (1 Cor 1:10), and we must love one another from the heart (Joh 13:34; 1 Pe 1:22; 4:8; Rom 12:9). If a brother repents, we are to forgive him and comfort him (Lk 17:3-4), so that he is not overwhelmed by excessive sorrow, in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes (2 Cor 2:7,11). If we do not forgive others, then our Father in heaven will not forgive us (Mt 6:14-15). The way that Paul and Linda Rika have treated brother Michael is hurtful, unforgiving, and controlling. Whatever they have done to Mike, they have done it unto Jesus (Mt 25:40). Fifthly, Paul has told false stories about Mike and Jeff, and we are commanded not to bear false witness against our brother (Ex 20:16). We are supposed to speak the truth in love (Eph 4:15), for all liars will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur (Rev 21:8).

Sixth, the way Paul has seized control and claimed exclusive rights to the book containing Mike's testimony is not right. Seventh, there is no Scripture that says anyone should be denied forgiveness or disciplined indefinitely. This is an abuse of spiritual authority and a form of mind control. The Lord does not accuse forever, nor will He always be angry. He is with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit (Is 57:15-16). "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble." (Jam 4:6). Eighth, Paul seems to be lacking accountability, since he is acting unilaterally without regard for what one of his own elders is telling him. Ninth, he allows people to call him "Daddy," contrary to what Jesus taught. Tenth, there is the unbiblical teaching on remarriage to one's first spouse after divorce and remarriage. Eleventh, Linda accuses Michael of being used by the spirit of Allah, and Paul has been echoing that same thing. People who say such things to those who are operating by the Spirit of God should beware of blaspheming the Holy Spirit (Mar 3:28-30). Finally, Paul’s heavy-handed, domineering behavior is not the way a pastor is supposed to care for the flock. The Scripture says that an elder is not supposed to lord it over others like that.

The Lord said to them, "The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who have authority over them are called 'Benefactors.' But it is not this way with you, but the one who is the greatest among you must become like the youngest, and the leader like the servant.” (Luk 22:25-26). Likewise, the apostle Peter said, “Nor yet as lording it over those allotted to your charge, but proving to be examples to the flock.” (1Pe 5:3).

Sadly, based on these bad fruit, we can say for sure that this couple is no longer operating in the Holy Spirit. This is not the fruit of the Spirit. Since Jesus said you would know them by their fruit, we have now identified who they are. They are bad trees, and bad trees cannot bear good fruit, neither can a good tree bear bad fruit. I do not judge them, but I have identified them based on the fruit test, as I have written in my article, Testing the Spirits of False Prophets.

After documenting these issues, I humbly submitted the document to Paul Rika via email to read and respond. His assistant, brother Ande, replied to say he would print my document and give it to Paul once he returned from a trip he was currently on in Sierre Leone. His email was sent from "Holiness Revival Movement Headquarters Abuja," displaying Paul Rika's name and profile picture on it, so he was officially representing that movement and its International Director. Underneath Ande's name in his email was a caption stating, "Holiness; the only requirement for Heaven" (emphasis mine). This is not to pick on brother Ande, but this slogan helps to reveal an underlying assumption within HOREMOW that is being taught, which is not biblical. I replied back to him, asking what Scripture he bases that slogan upon, but he did not answer me.

Holiness is certainly one of the requirements for heaven (Heb 12:14), but our Lord Jesus said that the greatest commandments are to love. You are commanded to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself (Mt 22:37; Mk 12:30; Lk 10:27). These are even greater than the command to be holy, as important as holiness is. Jesus said, "By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (Joh 13:35, NIV). We do not want to be a holy people without love. If we attain the very highest level of holiness in our lives, but have not love, we are nothing (1 Cor 13:1-3). Let's not forget that! May the Lord help us all to be a holy people who love the Lord with all our being and love one another deeply from the heart. This whole matter should cause us all to go before the Lord, asking Him to evaluate us and reveal to us anything that is hidden that must go.

I do not relish or enjoy writing an article such as this, and I wish I did not have to do so. This article is not meant to condemn Paul and Linda Rika. I myself am just a man who has not yet attained to perfection. But I also have a responsibility to my readers to warn them of things like this, especially since I had previously written a favorable article about Linda, and other articles associated with HOREMOW. As the apostle Paul instructed Timothy, "Those who continue in sin, rebuke in the presence of all, so that the rest also will be fearful of sinning." (1 Tim 5:20). And he instructed the Ephesians, "Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them." (Eph 5:11, NIV).

Epilogue
As I mentioned in the article, I sent an email about this matter to brother Paul Rika, but he never replied to me. There has been no repentance, no apologies, no brokenness in response to this matter being publicized. I also sent this article to the US Coordinator for HOREMOW, brother Johnson Tata, but he never replied to me either. And I know that brother Jeff Zanni has also spoken to the HOREMOW Coordinator for Europe in London, as well.

I received a comment to this article on 29 August 2019 from a reader who stated that he was presently attending a HOREMOW Ministers' Conference, where Paul Rika presented revelations proclaiming himself as the General Overseer of all churches in the world. This occurred after he declared the previous day that HOREMOW is superior to all churches in the world.

Just a few days later on 10 September 2019, I also received a comment from one of my readers stating that just the previous day a video titled God's Choice of Pastor Paul Rika was posted by Holiness Revival Movement where Linda Rika stated her latest revelation. She referred to her husband Paul Rika as the "Messiah" of our generation!

We have listened to that video, which is mostly incomprehensible, and noticed that it has been heavily edited with many cuts and splices, which sometimes occur in mid-sentence, apparently to go back and alter what she said during the first take. However, we confirmed that she does in fact make such a false claim about Paul Rika near the end of the video during the last two minutes or so (29:17-29:56). She claims she was shown that a certain group of white people in an unknown country were shown Paul Rika in a revelation during their daily prayers. She claims, "These white people, they are waiting for this messiah. Because God told them, 'I’m going to send the messiah for your generation, that if you listen to him, and anybody that follows him is the one I’m going to carry you, and I will be protecting you people.' So they have been praying that God send [this messiah] -- and God has told them that, 'I have sent the person.' "

Let me remind you of the warning that our Lord Jesus gave us two thousand years ago about the last days before His return. Jesus said, "At that time if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Messiah!' or, 'There he is!' do not believe it. For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you ahead of time." (Mat 24:23-25, NIV).

Moreover, in this video Linda claims God told her, "Anybody that I send to this [HOREMOW] movement must submit to my son Pastor Paul Rika." She claims that people will be following him and he will "overshadow this generation." She even said that satan has deleted the Bible, that there is no true Bible any more, and that the Bible which people are reading has blinded their eyes (9:29-10:07). Then she claimed satan told her that Paul Rika is cleaning up the Bible and bringing the true Bible to mankind. The last time I checked, the Word of the Lord is still flawless, like silver purified in a crucible, like gold refined seven times (Ps 12:6; 18:30; 19:7). Therefore, beware of anyone who claims they have the only true Bible.

During the first fifteen minutes of the video, she also makes critical statements about other African brothers who have received revelations from the Lord, claiming satan told her that they have been compromised by him, such as brothers Ezekiel Moses and Michael Sambo. Since we know satan is a liar and the father of lies (Jn 8:44), and that he is the accuser of the brethren (Rev 12:10), why is she listening to him, accepting what he says, and proclaiming that to the world, rather than rebuking the devil? She is not prophesying for God here, but by her own admission, she is receiving a message from the devil and prophesying for him. In doing so, she is acting as the devil's prophetess, publicly casting slanderous accusations on the brethren that she has received from him.

I know Michael Sambo personally and certainly do not think he is under satan's control. He cares for the brethren who are under these delusions and considers them eternal souls who have been brainwashed to partake in these deceptions. He is alarmed that the church has been subjected to such a wine of deception and many have partaken of it, which has led many followers of HOREMOW to become confused while a large number of others have been deceived. Therefore, he is calling for us to rise up in prayer for them. He states, "I pray the Lord himself with bring salvation and deliverance to as many as desire it in Jesus' name." Amen.

A dear Nigerian pastor I know and love, who lives abroad but recently visited his native Nigeria, told me that the conditions in the Church there have gotten worse since he left the country. He said there is human worship, pastors are prideful and unaccountable, and people worship them as God, as if they cannot fall. This very practice is setting these pastors up for a fall, because instead of helping to bring about repentance for ungodly behavior, these people are encouraging pastors to continue in it. This should be a wake up call not only for the Church in Nigeria, but throughout the world, to stop worshiping men and making idols out of them. Stop treating them as if they are not accountable to any man. I suggest you repent for the way you have contributed to this sad state of affairs.

If this article does not appall you and grieve you, and if you are more interested in keeping your idol from toppling, then you are part of the problem I have just described. This message should cause you to grieve, lament, and pray. However, many readers have chosen to attack the messenger instead. If you plan to use the comments section for that purpose, then please don't bother, because your comments will not be published. If you are going to leave a comment that disagrees with what has been presented in this article, then please provide factual evidence to support your view, as well as any witnesses you are able to cite, if you want your comment to be published.

Finally, as for my views on holiness, they haven't changed one bit because of this matter, because they are based on the Bible and not on any man's revelation. You can still find my articles on holiness, such as Holy Living in a Perverted World, Garments of Godliness, and Godly Attire & Adornment -- Seven Divine Revelations, along with revelations about God's holy standards on Eternal Destinations, such as Michael Thomas Sambo's Revelation of Heaven and Hell, Ezekiel Moses Testimony of Heaven and Hell, Eudoxia Varga's Testimony of Heaven and Hell, and Baptized by Blazing Fire -- a Korean church's testimony.

Part II - Exposing the Darkness within HOREMOW
Part III - HOREMOW Descends to a New Low

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB,except where noted otherwise. Other Scriptures taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®, where noted.

Author's Note: I also recommend reading Exposing the Darkness within HOREMOW, More Accusations Against Paul and Linda Rika, Judging Revelations, Visions, and Prophecies, Grieve and Lament for the Church, The Nature of False Prophets, Leadership Approach Reveals View of God, Michael Thomas Sambo's Revelation of Heaven and Hell, A Tale of Two Kings, Testing the Spirits of False Prophets, Accountable, correctable, and teachable, Loving Deeply, Filled Up to All the Fullness of God, Angelic Escape from Terrorist Assassins, Interview with Brother Michael Thomas Sambo, The Wardrobe of the Saints, Whatever You Do, Do All Like This, How to Treat Leaders, Our Senior Pastor, The Shepherding Role of Elders, Exposing Heresy, Divorce -- Two Divine Revelations, Adultery According to Jesus, Holy Living in a Perverted World, Purge the Evil from Among You, and The Rise of Antichrists. You can access the Home page of this blog for more articles on Truth and heresy, as well as my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master.

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Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

Messages from the Lord for Catholics Worshiping Idols

Today I would like to post a collection of messages that people have received from the Lord Jesus Christ for Catholics worshipping idols.  These people also received messages for others, not just Catholics worshipping idols.  But I would like to highlight this particular topic, so that you can see the strong warnings that Lord has been giving them.

Crushed and Cast From His Sight
In Visitation of Jesus to Samuel Oghenetega, I documented that the Lord gave brother Samuel a message for Catholics worshipping idols.  He said, "Tell those worshipping idols, especially the Roman Catholics, that they should stop doing that or I will crush them and cast them from my sight into the lake of fire where there shall be gnashing of teeth and their smoke shall rise forever."

Idolatry Will Not Save Anyone

In Angelica Zambrano Hell and Heaven, I documented that sister Angelica saw many famous people in hell, including a past pope, John Paul II. She said the Lord showed her this man's life on earth and the reasons he is in hell today (I have covered some of these in a previous post already).

Here is an excerpt of her testimony, Prepare to meet your God! The Kingdoms of Heaven & Hell, and the Return of CHRIST (aka. 23 Horas Muertra):

Then the Lord took me to place where there was a very well-known man.  Before now, I used to live as a double minded young Christian girl.  I used to think that any person that died would go to Heaven; that those who celebrated mass, would also go to heaven, but I was wrong.  When Pope John Paul II died, my friends and relatives would tell me that he had gone to heaven.  All the news on TV, on Extra and many other places would say, "Pope John Paul II has died, may he rest in peace.  He is now rejoicing with the Lord and his angels in heaven" and I believed all of it.  But I was only fooling myself, because I saw him in Hell, being tormented by flames.  I looked at his face, it was John Paul II!  The Lord said to me, "Look, Daughter, that man that you see there, is Pope John Paul II.  He is here in this place; he is being tormented because he did not repent."

But I asked, "Lord, why is he here? He used to preach at church." Jesus replied, "Daughter, no fornicator, no idolater, no one who is greedy and no liar will inherit My Kingdom." (Eph 5:5) I replied, "Yes, I know that is true, but I want to know why he is here, because he used to preach to multitudes of people!" And Jesus responded, "Yes, Daughter, he may have said many things, but he would never speak the truth as it is.  He never said the truth and they know the truth and although he knew the truth, he preferred money over preaching about salvation.  He would not offer reality; would not say that hell is real and that heaven also exists; Daughter, now he is here in this place."

When I looked at this man, he had a large serpent with needles, wrapped around his throat, and he would try to take it off.  I pleaded with Jesus, "Lord, help him!"  The man would scream, "Help me, Lord; have mercy on me; take me out of this place; forgive me!  I repent, Lord; I want to return to Earth, I want to go back to Earth to repent." The Lord observed him and said to him, "You very well knew.  You knew very well that this place was real...It's too late; there is no other opportunity for you."

The Lord said, "Look, Daughter, I am going to show you the life of this man."  Jesus showed me a huge screen on which I could observe how this man offered mass many times to the multitudes.  And how the people who were there were so idolatrous.  Jesus said, "Look, Daughter, there are many idolaters in this place.  Idolatry will not save, Daughter.  I am the only One who saves, and outside of Me, no one saves.  I love the sinner, but I hate sin, Daughter.  Go and tell humanity that I love them and that they need to come to Me."

As the Lord was speaking, I began to see how this man received multitudes of coins and bills; money, all of which he would keep.  He had so much money.  I saw images of this man seated on a throne, but I was also able to see beyond that.  While it's true that these people do not get married, I can assure you, I'm not making this up, the Lord showed it to me, those people do sleep with nuns; with many women there!

The Lord showed me these people living in fornication, and the Word says that no fornicator will inherit His Kingdom.  As I was watching all of this, the Lord told me, "Look Daughter, all of this which I am showing you is what goes on, what he lived and what keeps on happening among many people, among many priests and popes existing." Then he told me, "Daughter, go and tell humanity that it's time to turn to Me."

Mary Worship in Photos
Here are some photos from around the web that depict this sin. Some images may be copyright protected.  No copyright infringement intended.

Other Forms of Idolatry
The worship of Mary is not the only form of idolatry found in the Catholic Church.  There are many other types of idolatry practiced as well.  For example, Catholics greet the Pope and Bishop by kneeling or bowing and kissing the ring.  When they bow down to kiss this gold ring, they break the Second Commandment. There are also many statues and images of the Pope that Catholics pray to.  They bow before many relics, including human skulls and pieces of human flesh.  For example, they bow and kiss ornate boxes containing human hearts, human tongues, and other objects supposed to have come from saints. In Hungary they have the right hand of saint Stephen in a box.  Pope Benedict XVI was photographed kissing a container with tapped blood of the dying late pope John Paul II.

There is an overwhelming amount of evidence of this kind of idolatry in the Catholic Church around the world, and I strongly urge you to visit the Ivarjed website that has a photo journal of these horrible acts of paganism, so you can see for yourself what they do.  They even have a photo of the pope kissing the Muslim Koran.  

Another example is their worship of the eucharist, which is the man-made communion element used in taking the Lord's Supper.  The Catechism says, "The Catholic Church has always offered and still offers to the sacrament of the Eucharist the cult of adoration, not only during Mass, but also outside of it, reserving the consecrated hosts with the utmost care, exposing them to the solemn veneration of the faithful, and carrying them in procession."

They enclose the bread in an ornate container made of gold and expose it on an altar or carry it in a procession (parade) for people to adore.  They call it the Blessed Sacrament and even pray to it.  In fact, they even have Perpetual Adoration 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.  Where in Scripture does it say to do this?  Praying to an object encased in gold violates Scripture.  Those who worship God must worship in Spirit and in Truth.

My Personal Deliverance from Idolatry
I recall when I first gave my life to Jesus Christ as a young soldier in the US Army in 1986.  Having been raised Roman Catholic, I repented of my sin and called upon the Lord to save me.  He came to live in my heart and set me free from many forms of bondage, including drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, sexual immorality, and even idolatry.  Nobody had to tell me these things were wrong, because the Holy Spirit living inside me convicted me.

I remember when I sat alone in my room in the barracks, and held my plastic statues in my hand, as I prepared to throw them in the trash.  I contemplate what I was about to do.  I knew I was either about to commit the greatest act of sacrilege, and a bolt of lightning was about to strike me if I followed through with it, or else I was about to break away from a lifetime of horrible bondage to idolatry.  I threw them away, and no lightning bolt hit, but I was definitely set free from idolatry and never went back.  The Lord has been faithful to reveal Himself to me over the past twenty-eight years through His Word and by His Spirit.  I have received many wonderful answers to prayer, and never once had to commit idolatry to do so.

Scripture Meditations
"You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me," (Exo 20:4-5)

"But actually, I wrote to you not to associate with any so-called brother if he is an immoral person, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler--not even to eat with such a one." (1Co 5:11)

"Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God." (1Co 6:9-10)

"Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written, "'The people sat down to eat and drink, and stood up to play.'" (1Co 10:7)

"You know that when you were pagans, you were led astray to the mute idols, however you were led." (1Co 12:2)

"Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, 'I will dwell in them and walk among them; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.'" (2Co 6:16)

"Little children, guard yourselves from idols." (1Jn 5:21)

"The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, so as not to worship demons, and the idols of gold and of silver and of brass and of stone and of wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk;" (Rev 9:20)

"But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death." (Rev 21:8)

"Outside are the dogs and the sorcerers and the immoral persons and the murderers and the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices lying." (Rev 22:15)

Putting it All Together
Dear friend, this warning is for those worshiping idols of any kind in any way, especially Catholics, but not only for them.  If you are worshiping idols in any way, please do not dismiss these very serious warnings.  Don't think these are simply words spoken by people whom you think hate Catholics, or that the messages are too harsh and could not be coming from Jesus.  Nobody here hates you.  The Lord loves you, and that is why He is warning you.  Do not resent His rebuke.

These are woes spoken over you by the Lord, just as he spoke over the hypocrites in Matthew 23.  To those people, he also said things like, "...you shut off the kingdom of heaven from people; for you do not enter in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in." (Mat 23:13b). He said, "...you will receive greater condemnation." (Mat 23:14).  He said to them, "You serpents, you brood of vipers, how will you escape the sentence of hell?" (Mat 23:33).

Do those sound like gentle words to you?  No, they are a rebuke spoken from the Lord's heart that is full of love for these people.  Just look at how the Lord spoke of Jerusalem in this very same passage of Matthew 23: "Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling." (Mat 23:37)

Can you hear the Lord's aching heart crying out to you to repent, as He rebukes you for your idolatry and lawlessness?  He longs to gather your children together the way a hen gathers her young, but you must be willing to let Him do so.  Please do not kill the prophets or stone those sent to you in the Name of the Lord, as the religious leaders of Jerusalem did. 

In Luke's account of another such incident when Jesus prophesied over Jerusalem, he recorded that the Lord wept over the city : "As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it and said, ‘If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace-but now it is hidden from your eyes. The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God's coming to you.’" Luke 19:41-44 

I pray this message will not be hidden from your eyes.  Receive this warning, understand what will bring you peace, repent, and turn to the Lord.  Amend your ways before it is too late.  Produce fruit in keeping with repentance by burning your idols, destroying them, or throwing them away if you cannot destroy them.

Renounce your acts of idolatry and ask the Lord to break off of you every curse you have brought upon yourself through this terrible sin.  There is still hope for you yet, as long as you have breath, because God is merciful.  I am living proof of this, because He set me free, forgave me, and changed my life!

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. Most other Scriptures taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®, unless otherwise noted. Image of people kneeling before statue of Pope John Paul II courtesy of New Age Dogma. Image of Pope John Paul II worshipping statue of Mary courtesy of Lion and Lamb Ministries.

Author's note:  Please prayerfully view these people's testimonies, and use the Testimony Review Process adopted by this blog, as you decide for yourself whether the Lord has spoken to them.  For issues and concerns, each person must confirm with the Lord, whether something is valid or not.

I also recommend reading Unbiblical Practices of the Catholic Church, Michael Thomas Sambo's Revelation of Heaven and Hell, The Holy Fires of Hell, Baptized by Blazing Fire -- a Korean church's testimony, Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit and Discerning the Things of the Spirit. You may access more of my articles on the Main Directory of this blog, as well as my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

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Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.