In a shocking display of spiritual arrogance, TBN founder Paul Crouch is now claiming that he and his wife, Jan, and TBN are God's appointed Noah's Ark for the last days. Their names are encrypted in the book of Genesis in the passage where Noah loaded the survivors of the flood onto the ark, according to a guest on the Praise the Lord program that aired earlier this week.

This latest revelation was made possible by the occultic Bible code theory, a lethal means of interpreting the Bible. This method of soothsaying was made popular by non-Christian author, Michael Drosnin's book, "The Bible Code," that has now become a fad in the Bible prophecy teaching arena. However, no reputable Bible scholar acknowledges it as a valid way of studying scripture.

On the program that night with Crouch was co-host, Ben Kinchlow, former 700 Club co-host, who told the audience that this latest discovery was proof that God's word is of supernatural origin. Their guest was Paul Crouch's personal Bible code decoder, Yacov Rambsel, whom Crouch commissioned to write a book that is TBN's January love gift. The book is called, "The Genesis Factor." "I honestly believe God is revealing it to us in these last days," said Crouch, "to unseal this book (holds up the Bible) and tell us things that no other generation has ever known."

The clue as to how the words in the Bible are to be understood is revealed in the book of Daniel, according to Rambsel's research. "In Daniel, where it says at the time of the end knowledge shall be increased," explained Crouch, "encoded in that passage right there are the words 'Bible codes.'"

Rambsel uses what he calls ELS, equidistant letter sequences, to find hidden messages in the Hebrew words of scripture. [It's reminiscent of the backward masking craze, seeking hidden messages on rock albums by playing the albums backwards.] Various critics of this method have continually shown that virtually any message can be extracted from the Bible through this method.

Rambsel explains in his book how he found the ministry of TBN encrypted in Genesis 7:13, where Noah is gathering his family and all the animals into the ark. "It's the ark of refuge," said Rambsel, "He's talking about salvation." "'So what we find in that little passage," read Crouch from The Genesis Factor, "as they're loading everybody on the ark, starting with the third letter in the eighth word and counting forward every 15th letter, spells 'Paul' . . . adjacent to his name at the same ELS is 'Jan,' which is the name of his wife . . . starting with the fourth letter in the third word, counting every 20th letter spells 'TBN'. Adjacent letters in the same ELS spell at least eleven different words that are directly associated with the work of TBN. Not only TBN; Paul; Jan; last name Crouch; good news; satellite; film; praise; shall be clothed with faith; information and knowledge.' It's all there!"

Crouch was quick to point out that his is not the only name encrypted in the Bible. "We honestly believe, Yacov, don't we? That everybody's name is encoded in the Holy Bible." "I know this for a fact," agreed Rambsel. "Absolutely!" "So this is no special blessing to Jan and me," Crouch added. "We believe that's the Book of Life, but there's another book, the Lamb's Book of Life. That you have to be born again before you get into that book."

Perhaps the Crouches and their Bible decoder are picking these ideas up from their friends without realizing it. Back on December 5th, 1999, on Benny Hinn's "This Is Your Day" telecast, faith healer Oral Roberts told Hinn that Hinn and his ministry was the ark.

"They, as a body, are coming together in climax," said Roberts, referring to Christians of all persuasions. "For example, your crusades is being born up to the faith of the body of Christ [sic] and the pressing needs of humanity in the same way that the ark of Noah and his family was born up by the waters that will destroy the world, the great rain and flood that came also was lifting the ark. And when sin came to a climax, righteousness came to a climax in Noah just like it's coming to pass in your life, in your ministry."

Contrary to being the salvation of mankind in the last days, both the Crouches and Benny Hinn are the leading voices of apostasy in our time. They spread the false prosperity gospel, worshipping the god of mammon and give honor to the biggest purveyors of heresy in the church today.

The potential of this Bible code trend for evil is almost infinite. The Crouches are using it to give themselves God's stamp of approval and elevate themselves over all other ministries. Yet, according to Bible code critics, you can find just about anything in the Bible using this method if you look hard enough.

This certainly does complicate the simplicity of the gospel. Can you imagine the Lord Jesus looking at scripture that way? Obviously not. With God there is "no variation or shadow of turning" [James 1:17 ]. Jesus said, "I spoke openly to the world. I always taught in synagogues and in the temple . . . in secret I have said nothing" [John 18:20]. God never gave man any such method of interpreting scripture.

Unfortunately, people by the thousands are being driven by various winds of doctrine coming from today's TV preachers. This does appear to be fulfilling Bible prophecy after all.

"For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables" [2Tim. 4:3-4].