I received this message today from a friend/ex-member of TLWF:

"William Branham was a phony snake oil salesman type.

I don't recall JRS talking about him. But they both taught the same things and operated out of the same BS universe.

[youtu.be]

This is a series. A bit dry, but, wow!"


Larry Bobo, back in 2018, also mentioned the non-coincidental similarities of JRS and Branham's teachings. Note: Branham preceded JRS's ministry:

Posted by: larry bobo
Date: November 15, 2018 12:14PM

I’ve posted this several times before, but some may not have seen it. These are some Latter Rain teachings – you decide if they sound familiar to what you heard in TLWF:

The Latter Rain, Restoration of the Church, Restoration of the five-fold ministries, Pre-rapture spiritual second coming of Christ, New revelation and prophecies, Manifestation of the sons of God, Overcoming death before Christ’s return, Dominion Now theology and spiritual warfare, Mainstream Christianity referred to as “old order” or “Babylon”, Personal ministry – words from God from leaders to congregants, Emphasis on the Feast of Tabernacles. Man-child doctrine, Joel’s army and militancy, Deeper levels of revelation including altered states of consciousness, Incarnation of Christ in a many-membered body, Spiritual evolution to perfection, Divine order, Enforced unity, Shepherding, and Father/son mentoring.

This is not teaching you would have heard in mainstream Christianity. About all that is missing is the need for a revelation of the Door Opener Apostle and the Lamp of Israel. The Latter Rain is notorious for grandiose claims of new types of ministries. Also, WJ Stevens’s grandson mentioned that they carted off boxes of Latter Rain and William Branham tapes from his grandfather’s house after he died, even though the family claimed it was not a fountain the were drinking from.

Great information, Changedagain and Larry Bobo. I've just recently noticed renewed efforts by The Living Word to whitewash the online presence of info about JRS. Therefore, I recommend that when posting about his abuse and cult leader status, we write out his name. John Robert Stevens was a cult leader along with the worst of the worst.

Reep wrote:

I recommend that when posting about his abuse and cult leader status, we write out his name. John Robert Stevens was a cult leader along with the worst of the worst.

True

Reep:
I've just recently noticed renewed efforts by The Living Word to whitewash the online presence of info about JRS.

Creating a powerful myth about the life of John Robert Stevens, and having it gain traction, should help boost sales of living word material. I mean, what good is the guy's life unless someone can profit off of it?

A few posts from November 26-27 of 2019:

Posted by: Imapurple
Date: November 26, 2019 07:23PM

I was standing outside with JRS one late night at Shiloh and he was looking at the water tower and he said , one day lightning is going to hit that thing and this whole damn place is going to burn down. Well, maybe it’s wasn’t lightning but it’s sure burning down. I truly believe that he was regretful of his openness to Marylyn and all the craziness that followed. I believe he knew it was wrong and knew God was never in all that. I’m not making excuses for him. I just think he knew he had been buying into his own BS and the BS that was always around him. On his bed as he was sick and dying he cried out asking Martha for forgiveness. He knew.......

Posted by: puddington
Date: November 26, 2019 10:16PM

I remember well the feeling of being love-bombed by Marilyn. She would really try to make me feel special at times. Then there were other times when I was a nobody and someone who was not really part of the team. It would go back & forth. Some weeks I was loved, some weeks I was despised. I never knew which way the wind was going to blow. This really kept me on the ropes. It was driving me insane. It was such a violation of my core self. I had to leave.

And the irony is that Marilyn used to say “Insecurity is the Satan of the Kingdom”.

Posted by: Reepicheep
Date: November 26, 2019 10:36PM

Thanks for that info, Imapurple. I probably never knew JRS when he was not somehow involved with Marilyn...years before his divorce from Martha. I'm glad that he finally realized (on some level) that he was wrong for that. It doesn't take away the pain of all the wrong and hurt that he caused so many people. It does make him seem a bit more human.

Posted by: kBOY
Date: November 27, 2019 03:40AM

I M a P U R P L E

"On his bed as he was sick and dying he cried out asking Martha for forgiveness. He knew......."

That is a stunning account that would have probably shocked about 95% of the fellowship had they known about it. It possibly could have saved countless lives much suffering and grief by not signing up for the post-JRS era. Had we known, many of us would have probably headed for the door right there.

"Well, maybe it’s wasn’t lightning but it’s sure burning down."

Perhaps not all of JRS' prophesies were delusional fantasies . . .

Posted by: puddington
Date: November 27, 2019 08:25AM

Reep, I’m thinking about John on his deathbed. I imagine, in a moment of clarity, he looked around the room and saw only his groupies. People he had created by feeding them fairy tales. And other people that wanted his power. It must have dawned on him that these people didn’t REALLY love him. They just wanted something from him. Or they were there as bondservants to The Apostle. And then he remembered Martha. The one who loved John the man. Just the man, not the apostle.

John Robert Stevens

Posted by: puddington
Date: November 27, 2019 08:25AM

Reep, I’m thinking about John on his deathbed. I imagine, in a moment of clarity, he looked around the room and saw only his groupies. People he had created by feeding them fairy tales. And other people that wanted his power. It must have dawned on him that these people didn’t REALLY love him. They just wanted something from him. Or they were there as bondservants to The Apostle. And then he remembered Martha. The one who loved John the man. Just the man, not the apostle.

I think that you are correct on that, Puddington. By the time that he was dying, John Robert Stevens had banished his family. His sisters weren't there. Of course Martha and his daughters could not be there, nor his grandchildren. Not even his father could be close to his only son as he died. He had chosen Marilyn against the counsel of all of his close family and others who had been with him for many years. You could say that he had made his own bed and then had to lie in it. Meanwhile, by many accounts, Marilyn was already lying in another's bed.

One memory that keeps coming back to me is of being in a worship service in CLW, North Hills, colloquially known as "The Valley" church. This was the term meant to disinguish this location from the other two Southern California churches founded by John Robert Stevens, Grace Chapel South Gate and Church of His Holy Presence Anaheim. It was one of those Sunday night services after a long day of following "the Apostle" from service to service at those three churches. I was caught up in the moment, hands raised, eyes closed, singing my heart out in worship. Suddenly, my then husband's uncle, John Robert Stevens appeared, seemingly out of thin air. He angrily barked, "Are you taking the Bickhart’s side against me?" I have a strong startle reflex, so this was a shocking experience. And with that one question and accompanying tone, he set the stage for the events of my life over the next few years. He set up the enemy status of his sister, Eva. He let me know that I was expected to choose sides, and which side was the correct side. I could not know at that moment, all that would happen in the subsequent five years leading up to his death. I only knew that I was terrified of displeasing him.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/21/2023 09:12PM by Reepicheep.

Thanks for continuing to share your inside knowledge of these cult leaders, Reep--as painful as it might be for you. They are obviously not worthy of any respect, let alone be treated as divinity.


Meanwhile, by many accounts, Marilyn was already lying in another's bed.

I think she would refer to this as the "pure atmosphere." ;)

Meanwhile, by many accounts, Marilyn was already lying in another's bed.

I think she would refer to this as the "pure atmosphere." ;)


No doubt, Changedagain. One repetitive theme that I noticed throughout my 41 years in The Walk/The Living Word Fellowship was the shifting of those who were on the inside or outside of leadership positions. The biggest predictor of who was trusted or not trusted was that if a person was on the inside now, the next day or the next, they would become the skunk at the picnic. I think of the "2nd generation" zealots breaking light fixtures at Shiloh and mocking the elder shepherds. They were hot stuff back then. "Gutfighters". It was their day during the sieges of the late seventies. But what goes around comes around. Many of those same men were sent packing sooner or later over some imagined slight toward another power hungry true believer. And God help you if that power hungry person you offended was Marilyn Cleland Holbrook Stevens Hargrave.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/21/2023 10:33PM by Reepicheep.