I was quite surprised that a person of the particular board member's personality would bring forth such a direct and threatening prophecy. I have known him personally and been on friendly terms with him for many years and it is not quite his character. He is generally a quiet, mild mannered person. After analyzing the situation for a while though, a picture begins to emerge which would account for his getting the misguided courage to say what he did.

The 'Prophecy' Was Intentionally Directed

I believe, for a number of reasons, that this prophecy was intentionally directed at myself and others within the congregation of Cairns Christian Centre who have been warning people of the dangers of the theology of the 'Word of Faith' and the 'Toronto/Pensacola' movements, teachings that Pastor Brock has been, and still is, secretly indoctrinating the people with, and which most in the congregation are accepting without the slightest suspicion or question.

The first reason for my belief that the 'prophecy' was intentionally directed at myself and a few of my friends is that this deacon is a member of the church board. He is part of the inner circle. No doubt, Pastor Brock would have filled him in on my activities. He would know that I am opposed to the 'Toronto/Pensacola' type manifestations and theology coming into our church. He would see that as rebellion against ordained leadership. This deacon has a strong belief in submission to authority and is very loyal to the pastor, whoever he might be.

The second reason for my belief that the 'prophecy' was intentionally directed at myself and a few of my friends is that this particular deacon is one of the leaders of the mid-week home groups run by the church. He leads a group at the home of Bob and Anne Adamson. Bob and Anne are personal friends of ours and over the last six or eight months we have been pointing out to them the errors of the ministries that are being promoted in our church by the Pastor and some of the board. Bob and Anne had a critical look at the evidence we were presenting, and after checking the Scriptures, came to the same frightening conclusion as the rest of our group - that is, something is drastically and horribly wrong.

Bob has actually challenged this deacon/home group leader/board member, and the members of the weekly home group conducted at his home, with what he has come to discover, through the materials we have presented to him and through his study of Scripture. This would have been reported back to Pastor Brock. No doubt, there would have been lengthy discussions on the problems that we are causing, hindering the free movement of their river of revival into the congregation. The Pastor is disappointed and frustrated that he has not been able to motivate the congregation into all out abandonment to the 'new move' of God. This would have been discussed between themselves and the deacon has taken it upon himself to help his pastor and try to remedy the situation by bringing a threat of death against me and other concerned Christians, in the hope that I would be frightened into either leaving the church or, at least, discontinuing my activities. Perhaps this deacon supposed that people would become fearful of speaking to me lest they, too, become the object of God's wrath. Cutting off my audience would surely solve their problems.

Death Threats - The 'Fruit' Of Toronto/Pensacola

The threat of death is one of the ungodly 'fruit' of this 'new move' that we are all suppose to blindly accept. Threats of death upon those who will not submit to the ones who see themselves as God's 'man of the hour' with a mandate to bring in revival, a revival which is really an unbiblical, experience orientated deception that is being foisted upon God's children and in His house.

How many times have we heard the story of Ananias and Sapphira recounted in these 'times of refreshing' that are upon us? Most people have never heard the death threats made by their hero, Benny Hinn, against ministries that would dare to expose his obvious errors. His congregation actually cheer and clap as this 'respectable' man of 'god' issues threats against the lives of the wives and children of genuine men of the Word.

Is this what our congregation comes to? Is this what the 'new move of God' is supposed to promote? A former friend and brother in Christ wishes death upon another brother who won't go along with what he thinks God is trying to do through his pastor? What causes a mild natured person to be transformed into a fanatic who takes it upon himself to speak in defense of his leader and, supposedly, in the name of God, pronounce judgmental death, not just upon myself, but upon my wife, who is the most gentle and timid person you could ever wish to meet? She wouldn't hurt a fly, but she is not afraid to stand for truth. She knows who her God is and what He has called her to. Fortunately, my wife was not present with me in the service to hear her sentence. I was able to cushion the blow by informing her myself.

The Outcome

This death 'prophecy' produced a negative response from some members of the congregation, and even from a number of leaders within the church hierarchy. The Pastor was quickly challenged to reject the 'prophecy' as not originating from the Spirit of God. I, myself, wrote a letter to the Pastor [Link to Letter Written in Response to Death Threat Prophecy] challenging him to bring public correction to the deacon who uttered the 'prophecy'. This 'correction' was done on the following Sunday morning, in my opinion, in a less than satisfactory manner. The deacon was held up before the congregation as a genuine and Godly person who had simply become a little overzealous in his desire to operate in the 'gifts' of God. There was great applause from the congregation as his character and integrity were honoured. However, there was no attempt to speak for the ones against whom the 'prophecy' had been directed. There was no apology from the pulpit, although it was mentioned that the deacon had offered to do so himself, personally. Pastor Brock had not thought an apology necessary. People were left to think that the ones to whom the 'prophecy' had been directed must have deserved it anyway. However, a correction of sorts was brought forth and I give credit where credit is due.

Nevertheless, three months later, on Friday the 26th June, 1998, when it was obvious that their death threats had not done the job for them, I was summonsed to appear before the senior pastor, Chris Brock, and his nine board members for a 'trial' that lasted about an hour and a half, the outcome being that I was disfellowshipped for not obeying the Pastor, above God. On the following Sunday morning, in a message to the congregation, my name was cast out as evil from the pulpit of Cairns Christian Centre and I was reviled for the Son of Man's sake. A link to the text of the message in which I was reviled, slandered and lied about is provided at the foot of this article.

Double Standards

Although a correction of sorts was publicly offered to the members of the congregation, on the Sunday morning following the "Death Prophecy", it became apparent to me during the meeting with Chris Brock and his board, in which it was agreed I should be disfellowshipped and barred from the church (along with my friend Bob Adamson), that two positions were being held regarding the source and inspiration of the words that were uttered by Chris Miles in his prophecy of death.

As a consequence of part of the debate between myself and the church leaders, I became aware through the actions of both Chris Brock and Chris Miles, that these two men in particular were holding to a belief that the 'prophecy' had indeed been inspired by God, and they were conveying to me that they had adopted a "wait and see what happens" attitude. I was incredulous upon discovering that they held this position, particularly since they were supposed to have refuted that the 'prophecy' was divinely inspired.

I was also alarmed that these two leaders (and perhaps others in their group) were prepared to deceive the people in the congregation by publicly claiming to endorse one line of thought for them, the uninitiated, and yet having an entirely different and unannounced belief about the 'prophecy' for themselves. My attempts to enter into dialogue on the subject in front of the other board members was met with a stern response from Chris Brock to "drop the subject". Both Chris Brock and Chris Miles became noticeably angry when I pointed out to them, and the board, that the prophecy had been denounced and was no longer an issue. Chris miles became so angry, in fact, that he began to rise up out of his chair as though to come across to where I was sitting and I called the other assembled men to take notice of him. He was experiencing great difficulty in controlling his anger and apparent contempt for me. I advised him in front of the leaders of the church that he needed to do something about his obvious lack of self control.

This duplicity and hypocrisy on the part of Chris Brock, as senior pastor of Cairns Christian Centre, was challenged in the letter that I wrote in response to my dismissal and the message that he 'preached' on the following Sunday morning. What I said in the letter on this particular subject is copied below.

[QUOTE]

I would also like to be advised if you, and the board, have changed your position as to the validity of the prophecy uttered, in the name of the Lord, by Chris Miles on Sunday the 29th of March, 1998, threatening death to myself, my wife and to anyone else who would dare to defy God by not abandoning all soberness, vigilance and Biblical common sense and jumping into the Toronto/Pensacola river of 'revival'?

An official statement was made by yourself, from the pulpit, on the following Sunday morning denouncing the prophecy as not of God and public correction was brought to inform the congregation that this was so.

During our meeting with yourself and the board on Friday 26th June, you used the identical phrase as that used by Chris in his pronouncement, "You are on dangerous ground", to intimidate and cause fear. Upon mentioning to you that your threat had already been issued by Chris previously, in a prophecy that had been publicly refuted as not Biblical, and not coming from God, but from either Chris' heart or Satan's, it was intimated, from yourself and Chris, that the prophecy of death was from God and that it was valid. I find this alarming, not because I am fearful that God is about to mete out some terrible retribution upon me, but because you have advised the congregation of one thing, but among yourselves, as leaders, particularly yourself and Chris, you are advocating something else. This shows lack of integrity and is dishonest in the extreme. If the prophecy is endorsed by leadership, then let it be known as such to the members of the church. If it is not, then let that be known. You cannot have two positions on this matter, one for leadership that is concealed (for the sake of unity) from the 'uninitiated' sitting in their pews and another for the rest. Be honest and consistent!

Death threats aimed at intimidating and causing fear in the people to bring them into line with a certain belief system has been the hallmark of the Toronto/Pensacola movements. How many times have you heard the story of Ananias and Sapphira recounted by promoters of the 'new move' over the last couple of years - particularly during altar calls? How many times have the people been warned that to resist this 'new move' from Toronto and Pensacola they will incur the wrath of God Who will strike them instantly dead in their pews? Ananias and Sapphira were guilty of lying to the Holy Spirit, not of rejecting the message of Salvation presented by one of the Apostles. There is a vast difference that is not readily perceived by the young Christians whom you should be defending against such atrocious doctrines being dispensed from the mouths of manipulating people. Show me in your Bible one instance where we have one of the Apostles abusing and threatening someone with some terrifying death coming from God because they didn't go along with what he was saying. There are no instances and the practice is un-Biblical in the extreme.

[END OF QUOTE]

It would be interesting to know how the members of the congregation of Cairns Christian Centre would react to the knowledge that their leaders, in particular Chris Brock and Chris Miles (and God knows who else), are holding these two opposing positions about the Death Prophecy. One position, for the sake of unity and peace among the brethren, which says that the 'prophecy' was an honest mistake on the part of a member who got a bit over zealous in his exercising of the Charismatic gifts, and another position, secretly held among themselves, that believes that the words that came forth from the mouth of Chris Miles were, in fact, from the very mouth of God, and they, in their hypocrisy and secrecy, are patiently awaiting its fulfillment upon either myself, my wife, Colleen, or some other discerning child of God who has stood with us in resisting the flood of false teaching that is flowing, like a river, through the sanctuary of Cairns Christian Centre. I wonder how many of those "ordinary folk" (as they are so disrespectfully referred to) down in the congregation would not be alarmed that they have purposefully and secretly been misled by their leadership in the executive offices upstairs?

In light of the outstanding 'job' that has been done, by Chris Brock and his board, in defaming my integrity and motives to the "ordinary folk" of Cairns Christian Centre, my former friends probably wouldn't see too much wrong with the above information anyway. Hopefully some of them might at least read this article and begin to ask a few questions.

Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron. 1 Timothy 4:1-2

Click [ here ] to read the text of the message that was 'preached' by Chris Brock, senior pastor of Cairns Christian Centre (AOG) on the Sunday morning following my dismissal from the fellowship.

Click [ here ] to read my letter to Chris Brock and the nine members of his board, written in response to the 'trial' of Friday, 26th June, 1998, in which I was disfellowshipped, and also to the message that was 'preached' to the congregation on the Following Sunday morning as justification for their actions.