NO Connection? Part One: Donna Diorio Shoots Arrows At Discerning Israelis

In June 2019, Michael Nissim of Nahariya published a 40 minute video documenting just SOME (oh yes, there's loads more) of the connections of the Tikkun Ministries Apostolic Network of Daniel Juster, Eitan Shishkoff and Asher Intrater with other NAR entities and phenomena. Some of the video footage was very disturbing. Supporters of the false apostles quickly responded, both in Hebrew and English. This post, part one of a multi-part article, deals with one of the responses, that of Donna Diorio. We have  no personal issue with Donna, but we simply want to show how her response seriously misses the mark.

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Who is Donna Diorio?
For those unfamiliar with Donna Diorio, she produces a prayer information bulletin by collecting and aggregating information from various congregations and ministries within Israel. Her website Arrows From Zion is here.

Sadly, Donna has been a long time adherent of our local NARpostles here in Israel and shares many of their doctrinal distinctives. Now it looks like she has become a teensy bit upset since knowledge of what our local NARpostles actually believe and teach and their bad associations has entered greater public awareness here in Israel.

Michael Nissim is detestable to God!
If you read Donna's comments on Michael's video at Arrows from Zion, and the scripture she juxtaposes to it, you would certainly get that impression:

"There are six things the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a person who stirs up conflict in the community."  (Proverbs 6:16-19)

We have no personal animosity towards Donna Diorio, but we're not in this to solicit anyone's good opinion either, so let's just say it right out; that the way Diorio is using this verse in her article, is effectively labelling all (which would include a lot of Israeli pastors and leaders) who question Tikkun/Revive, as detestable (Heb. toevah -an abomination). Though she's clearly targeting Michael Nissim in particular, by implication this label would extent to all who are now voicing their concerns about Tikkun and Revive's doctrines and associations.

• “Undercurrent of lies and division . . .”
• "slander and accusation . . . slandering brothers in the LORD,  . . . doubts from false accusations are free to spew out against my friends."
• “If anyone needs to be exposed for bad acts within the Israeli ministries, it is those who slander their fellow brethren in the LORD who are ministers of good standing and reputation among the Body of Christ worldwide.  . . . . This is a stain on the whole body that such accusations are being allowed to stir trouble for going on three years now.”

"Witch-Hunting", "Menstrous Cloths" and "Insides Screwed Up by Satan"
This isn’t the first time Donna has gone nuclear; previously we have had such epithets as “witch-hunter” whose “insides have been screwed up by the Devil”, whose writings are a “menstrous cloth” and “a curse in the house of the LORD” that will “bring a curse on those who believe them” have been applied to us in particular, and such sentiments, we must assume, apply also to any and all who dares question the  “restored” apostles. This kind of wrath goes out like a whirlwind against those who dare to stretch forth their hand against the supposedly anointed.

"Coincidentally" Revive Israel media used the very same verses in what also (by its timing) appears to be a thinly veiled response to Michael's video. It gives the impression of a warning to any wavering Revive/Tikkunites  not to question their leadership's doctrine or associations, lest they themselves fall under a curse.

Sadly, I'm not kidding; fear of what may happen if they lose apostolic "covering" dominates the lives of many believers ensnared in the NAR and hypercharismania, and NAR leaders nurture this fear to intimidate and silence critique and keep people within their movement. We have heard first hand testimony of this from a number of sources, and it is very clear from many NAR leader's statements as well. Here's a taster from NAR leader John Bevere (whose books by the way you can buy from MAOZ):

“We refuse the [God's] authority behind them [restored apostles] if we dishonor or refuse to submit to them. Whether we know it or not, we resist the ordinance or the rule of God.” (Bevere Under Cover. p. 89)

“This text should read [1Sam 10:21-22] “For rebellion is witchcraft.” This clarifies the context of this scripture. It is one thing to liken rebellion to witchcraft, but an entirely different issue to say it is actually witchcraft.  . . .  how many are under its influence unknowingly because of the deception of rebellion? . . . Witchcraft directly opens one to the demonic realm." (Bevere, John. Under Cover. p. 67-68. Thomas Nelson: Nashville, 2001)

"The consequences [of not submitting to restored apostolic authority] ...are severe. Not only does it place us under the judgment of God, but it grants legal access to demonic powers. If we want to remain obedient to God and, we have but one choice when it comes to delegated authority - submission and obedience." (Bevere Under Cover. p. 89.)

NARpostle Asher confirms this perspective:

. . . powers of evil are assigned to destroy the community of faith as a whole. . . . Accusation usually comes in the form of gossip and complaining in the guise of seemingly sincere “correction.” . . . . the demonic attack is usually directed toward leaders. When we find ourselves gossiping and complaining about pastors and other leaders [i.e. the “restored” apostles and prophets], there is a possibility that we might actually have become a demonically-energized accuser of the brethren without realizing it. . . . . (Intrater, Asher Scattering the Sheep).

The above comment is not the only time that Asher Intrater has intimated that those who disagree with Tikkun/Revive are of the Devil.

However, we digress, we expected this kind of thing when we took on the job. The Lord warns, that in a climate of apostasy, those who stand up for biblical truth will rapidly become very unpopular.

Defining Slander
Before we discuss whether anyone is being slandered or not, let’s get our definitions right. Slandering someone is not the same as publicly voicing evidence-backed legitimate concerns about false doctrine and evil associations.

Slander is: “A false spoken statement which damages someone’s reputation or defames someone’s character.”
(Though the distinction is often lost in common thought; libel by the way, refers to written defamation.)

Take note; for something to be slanderous it has to be demonstrably false. Telling the truth about someone or something and bringing facts to light, even if it’s unpleasant or difficult to stomach, or even if people don’t want to hear it, is not slanderous.

Defining Truth
God deals in absolutes. He is, after all, the God of Truth. His Word and the doctrinal truths it contains will always be true and dependable, irrespective of our feelings. Sadly, many people today judge whether something is true by whether “it sits well with them” or not. Truth for them is emotional or intuitive, and something is true for them only to the degree it relates to them emotionally; how they feel about a matter is their plumbline for whether something is true or not. This is actually the toxic fruit of Postmodernist thinking, which has deeply infiltrated into Evangelicalism and particularly affected our young people.

God’s truth is absolute, it is independent of our feelings, like the law of gravity. We may not like gravity, we might even disagree with it, but if we step off a ten-storey building our opinions will yield to its truth, just as surely as our face will lose the argument with the pavement.

Slander NOT Needed
The fact is that we don’t need false accusation to discredit these "restored" apostles for what they are and reveal their apostolic status to be bogus; they've done such an excellent job themselves! Their own practices, approving associations, co-operative ventures and published material speak volumes. There's so much evidence out there that we're practically drowning in it.

Donna's Denunciations against Discernment

In her article against Israelis who question Tikkun/Revive, Donna makes the following statements:

“It is FLAT OUT BOGUS to claim these ministries (Tikkun/Revive etc) have ANYTHING to do with the excesses portrayed in this video”

"The Israeli ministries who operate in the gifts of the Spirit are under an unprecedented attack for connection to Christian charismatics. And not only that, but they are being slandered by an extremely small ministry in Israel as being related somehow to some of the flakiest of the charismatic flakes we've seen in recent decades. These men under attack in Israel have nothing to do with all that craziness."

It seems fair to say that Donna is categorically claiming the following:

1.        That our local trio of false apostles have NOTHING WHATSOEVER to do with the excesses that appeared in the video.
2.     That that are NOT related somehow (i.e in any way whatsoever) to any of the charismatic flakes seen in the video.
3.     That they have NOTHING WHATSOEVER to do with ALL that craziness; that they have NO CONNECTION to it.
4.     ANY and ALL claims that there is a connection are FALSE, and therefore those who claim there is are LIARS and SLANDERERS.

Better buckle up people, because it's going to be a wild ride.

For part two click here: