Ming Chen
There has always been a lot of media attention on Brian Tamaki, from Destiny Church protests to Tamaki’s firearms being seized, and recently his video titled “HEAVEN’S HITLIST”, in which Brian Tamaki and other Destiny members spoke at a Destiny Church meeting. I want to briefly discuss this video and express my concerns about it from a conservative Christian viewpoint.
He begins by stating his credentials: “I’ve been a Christian for 47 years... In other words, I’m not just a newbie or another Christian.” Additionally, he was “ordained… to be an apostle”. He continues that they will be praying tonight by “targeting particular institutions... agencies... [and] certain people we’ve named”.
He continues: “So, over 47 years for the first time, I’m going to enact a very powerful spiritual weapon that I always knew was there, but I don’t want to use it. It’s a bit like a nuclear bomb in the spirit world. Angelic strike forces and God’s army in the heavenlies [sic] is very real.”
This spiritual weapon is “going to be very dangerous for those institutions because the prayer will enact spiritual power and it can collapse... those organisations... a parliament. It would take certain people in a way where life will turn miserable and even be destroyed. I’m telling you, you cannot play with God. It’s like playing with fire.” The only way out, according to Tamaki, is repentance.
These comments are, at risk of understatement, concerning. Firstly, I’m not convinced that Tamaki is an apostle. The Apostle Paul states, “Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord?” (1 Corinthians 9:1). The natural reading of this passage, along with other passages, might imply that being an eyewitness to the risen Christ is a requirement for anyone to become an apostle.
Additionally, the walls of the heavenly city in Revelation bear the “12 names of the 12 apostles of the Lamb” (Revelation 21:14). The office of apostle seems to be final, foundational to the church (Ephesians 2:20) and closed. To my knowledge, this is the overwhelming majority view of church history.
Even more problematically, Tamaki claims that his apostolic authority enables him to launch “angelic strike forces”. There is absolutely no biblical example of any apostle launching an angelic militia. The closest example I can think of is Jesus’ statement in the Garden of Gethsemane before his crucifixion that he could ask his Father and “he will at once send me more than 12 legions of angels” (Matthew 26:53). That hardly helps because Jesus’ point was to show his humility: he could have escaped death but instead he suffered to the bitter end for the sake of his beloved people.
To be clear, I’m not against judgement. I believe the Bible provides us with clear evidence that those who do not love Christ will be thrown into the “lake of fire” (Revelation 20:14-15), namely hell. However, I’m against Tamaki and Destiny’s appeal to God’s judgement.
One of the Destiny members, a young man, prays the following (from 43:15 onwards) regarding the Inland Revenue Department: to “kill them, to purge them, to cast them down into the deepest depths of hell where they belong. They’ve had their chance, but they’re done. They are dead. They are gone in Jesus’ name. We cut their heads off. [He makes a throat-slitting motion]. We place them on our mantle right now.”
In defence of these statements, some might appeal to the imprecatory Psalms – psalms that call for the judgement of God’s enemies. Think about when David prays, “O God, break the teeth in their mouths” (Psalm 58:6) about his enemies. However, there are several reasons to reject these appeals. These reasons also help us to understand the Christian view of judgement.
Firstly, while there is nothing wrong with praying for God’s justice to be performed, this prayer must always be based on God’s timing, not any claim to our own ability, however apostolic, to launch “angelic strike forces”. David, the King of Israel, wrote Psalm 58. Where does he claim the ability to judge and damn God’s enemies because he is king? God’s judgement depends on his will, not our beck and call.
Secondly, the Christian focus should be on praying for our enemies’ repentance and turning to Christ, not their destruction. “They’ve had their chance” is a horrible statement regardless of what group it’s applied to. Think of Paul – the greatest persecutor of the church – who became one of its greatest teachers and evangelists. Think of Saint Augustine – a wayward prodigal who became a monumental theologian. Think of John Newton – a slave ship captain who became an abolitionist and penned Amazing Grace.
Many more could be named. Why should we not pray for hardened enemies of the Gospel to turn to Christ? How can we “pronounce judgment before the time” (1 Corinthians 4:5)? Should our hearts not break for them? How can we then pray for them to go to hell and state that we’ve cut off their heads?
Thirdly, to combine the previous two points, our ultimate attitude should be one recognising that we ourselves were under the judgment of God. “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked,” (Ephesians 2:1) states Paul. All believers were once sinners and “children of wrath” (Ephesians 2:3), under God's judgment. But God did not pour out his just judgment on sinners but on his Son, who bore the sins of his people and their punishment in their place. So, God can be simultaneously “just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus” (Romans 3:26).
As a friend put it, we should desire that God justly pardon sinners and save them through the blood of Christ, who justly stood in our place. This should be our primary plea for justice: salvation, not judgement. Destiny has inverted and corrupted the Gospel: their cry is judgement, not salvation.
I have many more concerns about Destiny Church but space limits me. You may say that such statements are not representative of Destiny. However, Tamaki himself appointed the young man to pray in the pulpit – on live stream, no less. Tamaki is more measured, sure. But if Tamaki was concerned, why didn’t he interrupt this man and say, ‘No, no, don’t pray like that’?
