Testimony of a Former End-Time Handmaiden
April 20, 2000
Here are my recollections on ETH.
In the late 80's I became interested in the Messianic movement. I began to meet ladies who were involved in the organization called End Time Handmaidens. They were very knowledgeable and involved with Israel and bringing the Hebrew Roots movement to the Church. I attended several meetings and began reading the ETH books which were written by Gwen Shaw. Her writings are very mystical and spiritual. They were leaders in the Davidic Praise and Worship movement, banners, pageantry, shofars (anything and everything related to charismatic praise and worship practices) Soon after that (early 90's) I went to a Bless Israel conference hosted by Faye Hardin in Carl Strader’s Carpenters Church in Lakeland Fla. Gwen Shaw was the guest speaker. I had been prepared by the ladies I knew that I must attend this meeting to hear Gwen and “receive the anointing.” I received something because by the time I left this conference I had begun a 21 day fast.
This fast is required to become a member of ETH. We were taught that you receive the anointing when you fast and take the ETH vows. The vows sound very impressive but require that you lay down your life, will, liberty. This is in fact a gnostic vow that denies the simplicity of the gospel. Through the fast you will become more pure and holy, separated unto God and elevated from other Christians. It is seen as an entry into the spiritual Levitical priesthood. Again and again the teaching from Gwen and others is that "we have to offer up to God our sacrifices" through fasting, praying and lots of other crazy stuff they do that is not biblical. ETH has a gospel of works that invalidates the blood of Jesus and what he did for us on the cross.
ETH meetings were very exciting and enticing because they were in the forefront as leaders of the now popular (and apostate) revival movement. We were taught that as handmaidens we were bringing God’s purposes into the world. As God used Mary to birth Jesus into the world; we could be used by God to birth his manifold revelation of Jesus and the glory into the world. The ETH theme verse...
Acts 2:18 “And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy.”
Although the group is called End Time Handmaidens and Servants, it is predominantly women. My initial impression of Gwen was that she was a strong feminist. Looking back I now see no difference between many of her teachings and the New Age, occult, Wiccan feminist teachings. These false teachings and beliefs wreck homes and families. Women are encouraged to put the “ministry” and the mission field above husbands and families. It is seen as a badge of honor for a women to forsake her family to go to the mission field. In fact this was Gwen’s experience as she describes it in her biography.
ETH is not only a Messianic group, they are very Catholic. Gwen promotes the writings and teachings of Catholic nuns, saints and mystics. I remember the first time I heard her share her beliefs that we shouldn't judge people who claim to see auras and halos. This was a direct reference to the Catholic Church. I was surprised to hear her talk about “auras” as this is an occult teaching. In a recent newsletter (March 10) she said that she looks to the Pope for guidance. “Even Pope John Paul has gone to Israel this year and I believe it is a sign and indication to us that God would have many of us make this pilgrimage”
ETH has established itself in Jerusalem with the purchase of their “ministry house.” Gwen uses high pressure manipulation to con people for money to pay for the house. She is known for her strong begging, threatening offering techniques. People in the organization tend to make light of this, but it is no joke. I was told that at the last convention she kept people in the auditorium until 3:00 A.M. begging for money.
In other recent newsletters, her New Age beliefs come through loud and clear. Here are some of the things she has written about...
The healing rooms of John G. Lake. She wrote about shamanism and Spiritism practices relating to the American Indians in regards to this healing house and healing waters. She believes in all this and was in favor of reopening the house. The man who was going to be involved in this "ministry of healing" just died from cancer. He left behind a wife and 4 children.
Rabbi Schneerson (false messiah and Cabalistic occult leader of the Lubavitch movement). Gwen actually quoted him and lifted him up for his beliefs about women. Considering that the Cabbala is nothing but satanic witchcraft, it was insulting to have her propagate Schneerson’s beliefs as being biblical. She then went on to compare the Zohar to the Bible by calling it a "Holy Book." This is blasphemy!!! I wrote to Gwen and held her accountable for these statements. My feeling is that she was building bridges with the orthodox community because of her house in Jerusalem.
ETH is part of the ecumenical, messianic, new world order. Gwen’s teachings are based on the Latter Rain, Manifest Sons of God movement. Gwen is herself a false prophet and a false teacher.
Every year they have a convention. Anything goes at these meetings and the wilder more off the wall it is, the better. End Time Handmaidens pride themselves on being “way out there in the spirit realm.” You go to the conventions to get more power. This is called “the anointing”. Dreams and Visions are encouraged and expected. Manifestations of psychic powers are called the Holy Spirit gifts in operation. Group mind control is practiced and people are manipulated through typical cultic techniques at the convention. These include...sleep deprivation, the loss of time, music, dancing and singing for hours before each and every meeting to achieve altered states of consciences, group hypnosis and suggestions, demon deliverance, emotional manipulation, group travail, wailing and weeping. People are conditioned to accept all the “new things” that God is doing. The conventions are used to indoctrinate more people into the ETH cult and to raise money. I personally saw the children being neglected for hours at the conventions. Instead of leaving the meetings at a decent time and putting the kids to bed, they are left in a room typically until after midnight. This is a dangerous situation that I found quite alarming and abusive.
Many of the guest speakers have proven themselves to be false prophets. Remember John Hinckel? 1994 (I believe) he spoke at the convention. His message was that in 2 weeks on June 9, all evil would be ripped out of the earth. It was very weird. That convention opened in Dallas and the week prior was when Jackie Kennedy died. The convention opened up with a long involved vision of Jackie going to heaven and meeting Jack Kennedy. At that time (after her death) she forgave him and the “chains of darkness” that had been around Dallas were broken. It was all very mystical. This is typical of the manner of “seeing into the spirit realm” and intercession that ETH promotes.
It was at convention that I met Ruth Heflin. I'm not sure if she is a handmaiden, but she is one of the most popular speakers. Long before she was popular here in the United States, (through the Brownsville revival and the gold dust) she has been well know with the ETH for many years. Ruth is presented as a “Holy Women of God” who is much more spiritually advanced than the rest of us. So when Ruth started having her “glory gold dust” camp meetings I went and was prepared to accept anything Ruth said. At that time I began to see this as a lying sign and wonder. I saw how it did not line up with the Bible but actually was part of the end time apostasy. It was extremely Roman Catholic and very scary. (I won't go into that now, but if anyone is interested I can certainly elaborate on what I saw). Gwen had jumped on the fairy gold dust band wagon and was also shamelessly promoting this false glory. That is when I woke up from a spiritual delusion concerning the ETH and cut all ties with them. I wrote to Gwen and told her why the gold dust was not a sign from God but a work of Satan. I warned her that if she did not repent of this blasphemy, her End Time Handmaidens were really becoming “Babylonian Harlots.”
January 1999 convention was held in Israel. The guest speakers (false prophet and prophetess) I want to mention were Israel and Efrocine Auerbach. This couple was very much promoted in the messianic ETH family. He is an Israeli and she is Greek. They claim to own Samuel's mountain in Israel. There is so much mystical weirdness, confusion and a lot of crime with this couple. I believe she is a witch and he a Satanist.
I'm pointing out some things about this couple to show how anyone who claims to have a supernatural experience and visions is accepted in ETH. Friends of mine went on a tour of Israel with Efrocine and Israel. It was to be a Hebrew Roots experience while learning how to “flow in the spirit” and become a real Messianic (not an American imitation). Efrocine is a control freak. This is where her witchcraft really comes out. Israel told my friends that if they did not do what Efrocine told them to they would be cursed with cancer. In the middle of the night, Efrocine and Israel stole the group touring van with luggage and personal belongings (I know because my coat was on the van!) and left my friends on their own in a foreign country. These people had paid money to have the Auerbachs give them a tour of Israel.
Efrocine and Israel have infiltrated the ETH. Myself and at least one other person I know tried to warn the leadership of ETH when it was announced that Ef. and Is. were to be guest speakers at the convention. Because Ef. and Is. claim to be messianic believers ETH refuses to believe they are not what they appear to be.
I was not at the Israel convention. I got all the details of Efrocine’s meetings from my friend. It was spooky. Before she got up to speak, someone gave a prophetic word that said... “Do not judge my servants Efrocine and Israel but listen to them.” It was described to me that a “holy awesome fear and presence of the lord” came into the building and no one would dare to judge what these people had to say. This is so typical of ETH conventions where anything goes as long as it is “spiritual and mystical.”
At the conventions, new servants and handmaidens take their vows. (I sent Barb a copy) To be initiated you must do a 21 day fast to receive the anointing. You must read Gwen's book, LOVE, THE LAW OF THE ANGELS, and be indoctrinated into her false gospel of peace, love and unity. You must wear white for the vows. I guess this shows that you are now considered pure and holy. It reminds me of nuns who are being married to their heavenly bridegroom.
ETH is established upon the Angel craze and hype. Angels have been popular with ETH for many years before the current Angel hype. ETH teaches that you receive guidance and help from the angels. ETH headquarters is called Engeltal which is the German word for angels. I think these angels are familiar spirits.
So many of Gwen’s teachings are much more New Age metaphysical than biblical. Here are a few her doctrines from her books... Finding each other in the spirit. This is really psychic divination.
“ENDUED WITH LIGHT TO REIGN FOREVER” is one of her books on the manifest sons of god who are filled with the glory light from heaven and become as gods. Able to leap tall buildings at a single bound, faster than a speeding bullet, being translated, etc. She does quite a teaching on Joel's army.
“REDEEMING THE LAND” This is one of her major doctrines that has now become very popular with the apostate crowd. When I first heard her teach this she said, “How can redeemed bodies be raptured out from unredeemed ground that belongs to Satan?” This teaching opened the door to much of the spiritual warfare practices that are now so common with the apostolic prophetic revival.
“POUR OUT YOUR HEART” (That may not be the exact title of the book but I think it is) This book is all about travail and “birthing in the spirit.” Again, a now very common practice and teaching in the apostate revival. Gwen was truly a spiritual mother and leader to prepare people to accept these false teachings.
“12 TRIBES” This is really wild. It is Gwen’s version of astrology. She does a bible study on the tribes and their personalities. To which she adds her own translations, opinions and crazy conclusions to come up with formulas for people to figure out what their “spiritual tribe” is. It is very esoteric.
Gwen oftentimes tells how she listens to the Holy Spirit and he tells her what to write. I now believe that she is listening to a familiar spirit who calls itself the holy spirit and she channels messages. Here is a quote from her newsletter that I received this evening...
“I have been busy writing my book on Miriam all week. I have been in the libraries of Heaven, reading and studying and listening to the tales of yesterday so that I can give as accurate a report on Miriam as possible. Angels are always available to help when you need to do research (many of them lived in Egypt at the time of Moses and Miriam) and the Holy Spirit is a good instructor.”
Either Gwen is channeling or she is a liar! Whatever it is, she is selling her books.
[Name withheld by request]
ALSO IN THIS SERIES:
THE OCCULT TEACHINGS OF GWEN SHAW
ETH&S *ANOINTED YOUTH RETREAT*