Destiny Church is a popular Pentecostal church in New Zealand run by Brian Tamaki (who has given himself the lofty title of "Apostle" - previously he was a "Bishop") and his wife Hannah. They are often in the news for saying rather outrageous things and also for dabbling in politics.
The latest claim made by Mr Tamaki is that the series of huge earthquakes on 5 March were the result of God punishing the New Zealand media for daring to criticise him and his wife for getting out of Auckland in the hours before the week-long Level 3 lockdown began. (Previously, Mr Tamaki has blamed homosexuals for earthquakes.) There is a rather good cartoon by Jeff Bell (which you can view here) that rather nicely sums things up.
Now, I think the mainstream media in this country propagate a lot of false narratives and much discernment needs to be exercised when reading or watching mainstream news (although the same applies to alternative/conservative media). But the idea that God would punish them - and the rest of the country too - because they criticised one preacher for his actions is patently ridiculous. In fact, it absolutely reeks of pride. And I might add, pride is something the Tamakis have no shortage of. They evidently have not read (or choose to overlook) the many verses in the Bible condemning pride.
If the earthquakes were a sign of anything from God, it is that the return of Christ is getting ever closer. Taken together with other earthquakes that have occurred in New Zealand over the past decade, not to mention earthquakes in other parts of the world, they form a pattern of increasingly stronger and more frequent "labour pains". The COVID-19 pandemic (being a "pestilence") is also a symptom of these "labour pains" that constitute "the beginning of sorrows". So it may well be that God was sending a message with these earthquakes, but that message has absolutely NOTHING to do with the Tamakis' treatment by the New Zealand media.
Furthermore, when it comes to both claims like this and its doctrine, Destiny Church is frankly on extremely shaky ground (pun intended). You see, Destiny Church preaches a false prosperity gospel that has nothing to do with the true Gospel of Jesus Christ. In this Newshub article about the Tamakis' rapid departure from Auckland last week, we actually see a good bit of this false prosperity Gospel in action. It works like a common scam: give the church your money (10% or even more), and God will shower abundant riches on you in return. Let's take a closer look (I quote from the aforementioned article):
[Hannah] Tamaki went on to encourage members to do more than just tithe to the church.
"The thing about Brian and I the whole time is that we've always believed you never come to the house of the Lord empty handed, even though you may do an AP [automatic payment].
"One-dollar coin, two-dollar coin, bring something into the house of the Lord. Bring what you can, over and above, because really it's the offering where God commands the blessing.
"The tithe is being obedient, so you bring 10 percent. That belongs to God. And then you get to thrive on the 90 percent.
"And then if you go over and above and give a little bit more for an offering, that's where God commands the blessing. So it's up to you - you make the decision, you make the choice."
She described the blessings that people could expect in return, like new cars, while an unknown number of people in the crowd clapped and cheered.
"If you're still thinking, 'Where's my jubilee blessing?' It's coming. You be patient, you just keep speaking it in faith, you be thanking the Lord in advance for what he's going to bring to you.
"I mean, we had a jubilee blessing that we didn't even ask for - we got given a Tesla. Hello? You know, we didn't need another car but the abundance of God is for his children, so I'm not going to say I'm going to sell that car, give it away. No, it was given to me."
So in a nutshell, the more you give Destiny Church, the more God will supposedly bless you. This is how prosperity preachers the world over operate. It is really no different from any scam: give the scammer a bit of your money in return for extraordinary riches. The result is that they line their own pockets while their congregation gets ever poorer - a bit like playing the lottery where you keep buying tickets in the hope of one day winning that jackpot, only it never happens. These false preachers are covetous - but so are their church members. If only these people would properly study their Bibles, they would realise what a gigantic con prosperity preaching really is.
Let's have a look at what the Bible has to say about the "prosperity gospel". 1 Timothy 6:3-6 is a good place to start:
"If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness; He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings, Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself. But godliness with contentment is great gain."
The prosperity gospel supposes that gain is godliness. That is its most fundamental premise. This, in essence, is what Hannah Tamaki is preaching in the quote above. The Bible instructs us to withdraw (separate ourselves) from such people. Also note what this passage says about the pride of people who preach false doctrines (including the prosperity gospel). Brian Tamaki has been full of strife, railings and evil surmisings, among other things, throughout his preaching career.
Here's another passage that really nails down what Destiny Church's prosperity gospel is all about:
"But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not." (2 Peter 2:1-3)
What Peter is saying there, especially the underlined bit, is exactly what we see with Destiny Church. They are using their members' own covetousness against them to make themselves richer. They use feigned words to deceive their members. And the mainstream media sees this, and hold Destiny Church up as an example of how "evil" Christianity is, when in fact there is nothing remotely Christian about Destiny Church, and if you continue in the pernicious ways of that false church, your destiny will be to join the Tamakis in the Lake of Fire. (Would that they would repent and be truly saved though.)
As for "naming it and claiming it" (or as Mrs Tamaki put it, "thanking the Lord in advance for what he's going to bring to you"), the Bible says that God does NOT answer prayers that are based on our material lusts:
"Ye ask, and ye receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts." (James 4:3)
So treating God like some kind of divine Santa Claus who will give you all the fancy toys you want if you just "thank Him in advance" after giving your 10% or more to the Tamakis is considered by Him to be "asking amiss", and He won't have any of it.
Let's have a look at a few verses about covetousness, which is the actual foundation of prosperity preaching:
"For the wicked boasteth of his heart's desire, and blesseth the covetous, whom the LORD abhorreth." (Psalm 10:3)
"Incline my heart unto thy testimonies, and not to covetousness." (Psalm 119:36)
"For the iniquity of his covetousness was I wroth, and smote him; I hid me, and was wroth, and he went on frowardly in the way of his heart." (Isaiah 57:17)
"For from the least of them even unto the greatest of them every one is given to covetousness; and from the prophet even unto the priest every one dealeth falsely." (Jeremiah 6:13 - perfectly describes Destiny Church and others of its kind)
"And they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them: for with their mouth they shew much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness." (Ezekiel 33:31)
"And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth." (Luke 12:15)
"But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints." (Ephesians 5:3)
"For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God." (Ephesians 5:5)
"Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry" (Colossians 3:5)
"For the love of money is the root of all evil; which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows." (1 Timothy 6:10)
"Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." (Hebrews 13:5)
"Having eyes full of adultery, that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children" (2 Peter 2:14)
So then, the Bible says that God abhors the covetous. It says we should incline our hearts to His testimonies (in other words, the Bible) and not covetousness. God calls covetousness iniquity and idolatry. He moreover says that to covet after money is to ERR FROM THE FAITH! The Tamakis however are essentially making covetousness seem like a virtue. But the Bible says they are "beguiling unstable souls".
What if this prosperity preaching somehow worked though? Would it be spiritually profitable? The Lord Jesus Christ asks this question of those who want to "have it all": "For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" (Mark 8:36) Paul notes, "But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition." (1 Timothy 6:9) So even if it actually worked, it would still do you no good at all, and only cause great spiritual harm.
Let us also take a look at the testimony of a man who really DID "have it all": King Solomon. The wisest man who ever lived, Solomon lived a real "rock star lifestyle" for a while. If any man had everything he could possibly want, it was Solomon. Yet take note of what he says in the end about his pursuit of material wealth:
"I sought in mine heart to give myself unto wine, yet acquainting mine heart with wisdom; and to lay hold on folly, till I might see what was that good for the sons of men, which they should do under the heaven all the days of their life. I made me great works; I builded me houses; I planted me vineyards: I made me gardens and orchards, and I planted trees in them of all kind of fruits: I made me pools of water, to water therewith the wood that bringeth forth trees: I got me servants and maidens, and had servants born in my house, also I had great possessions of great and small cattle above all that were in Jerusalem before me. I gathered me also silver and gold, and the peculiar treasure of kings and of the provinces: I gat me men singers and women singers, and the delights of the sons of men, as musical instruments, and that of all sorts. So I was great, and increased more than all that were before me in Jerusalem: also my wisdom remained with me. And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them, I withheld not my heart from any joy; for my heart rejoiced in all my labour: and this was the portion of all my labour. Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do: and behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun." (Ecclesiastes 2:3-11)
So Solomon had wine, women and song in unlimited amounts. He had a wealth of extremely valuable material things. Whatever his heart desired, he obtained. In the eyes of the world, he appeared to have the perfect life. Yet the conclusion he came to when he reflected on it all was that it was ALL VANITY AND VEXATION OF SPIRIT. There may have been material profit for Solomon in accumulating all those worldly delights, but there was no spiritual profit. If you are chasing money and material gain through the prosperity gospel, I pray that God will open your understanding to show you how utterly vain and vexatious it all is. You don't need material goods (other than those things necessary for basic survival) - you need Jesus Christ to save you from your sins.
As Solomon might put it, let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter. Brian and Hannah Tamaki, and Destiny Church, should be marked and avoided (Romans 16:17). They preach a false gospel that supposes gain is godliness, when the Bible instructs us to be content with what we have. They are also full of the most grandiose pride, as evidenced by Brian Tamaki's ludicrous claim that the recent large earthquakes were the result of God's wrath on the New Zealand media for criticising him, and also by the way he presumes to give himself lofty titles like "Bishop" and now "Apostle". (Incidentally, one of the Biblical qualifications for a bishop is that they should be "not greedy of filthy lucre [...] not covetous" - 1 Timothy 3:3) Another reason to avoid the Tamakis is that they "lord it" over their members. They certainly don't pay much heed to these instructions from Peter (who was a real apostle):
"The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed: Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock." (1 Peter 5:1-3)
Hannah Tamaki is moreover acting in direct disobedience of these Biblical commandments:
"Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law. And if they will learn anything, let them ask their husbands at home, for it is a shame for women to speak in the church." (1 Corinthians 14:34-35)
"But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. For Adam was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression." (1 Timothy 2:12-14)
If you claim to be a born-again believer in Christ, you should stay far away from Destiny Church. And if you are caught up in that church, I urge you to repent (be sorry to God for the sins of covetousness and others besides that you have committed against Him), humble your heart and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, who shed His blood for you, for salvation. Then get out of that wicked place. But pray for the Tamakis that they too would one day repent and be saved, because while they remain in this world, God is graciously giving them time to do just that.
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