In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I am writing to you regarding the recent death of Kyle Lake. I am writing to you not because I knew Kyle, but because I know Jesus Christ. Kyle is not here, but the Lord yet lives, and He has provided an answer for those that have wondered about Kyle’s death, what it means, and why it happened.
Some have reasoned, regarding this incident, that God is not over all events, that there are things happening beyond His control. Kyle believed and taught this way. He expressed it as follows, in one of his writings:
“There are many, many intelligent people who firmly believe that God does in fact cause all things to happen in today’s world, even tragic situations. And they haven’t come to this conclusion flippantly. Many believe this to be true after diligent study of the Scriptures. However, that is not my belief. I believe tragedy, chaos, and disease are natural consequences of the Fall when humankind was given freedom of choice.“
Kyle’s statement is not true. His belief, on which he based his life, was a false foundation, a lie from hell, which destroyed him. I will show you how. Do not think this is against Kyle. The lie worked against him, and it works against all those who hold to it and do not give God the glory that is His. Listen to His words:
“And do not fear those who kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul. But rather fear Him Who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for an assarion? And one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Therefore do not fear, you are of more value than many sparrows. Then everyone who shall confess Me before men, I will confess him before My Father Who is in Heaven. But whoever shall deny Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father in Heaven. Do not think that I have come to bring peace on earth. I did not come to send peace, but a sword” (Matthew 10:28-34).
Jesus spoke of that which was of very small value to men, sparrows, and said that even these very least of things were governed by God from above. He said that not a hair on your head could be touched, except that God does it. How else could He tell you not to fear? If someone could take off your hair, or your head, without God’s knowledge or say-so, then you would be well justified to fear the “tragedies and chaos” that Kyle says are your inescapable inheritance from “the Fall.”
Who are we to believe, Jesus Christ, or Kyle Lake? Jesus Christ came to deliver us from the consequences of sin, and “the Fall.” That is what He is telling us in the quoted verses, and indeed, it is the whole testimony of Scripture. If you do not believe that, you may as well throw the Bible out the window, and forget professing Christ, because there is nothing to any of it. Let’s be honest about it and face the facts.
What Jesus said, and what He is saying for those with ears to hear, is that God is over all events, and if you are walking in the fear, or reverence, of Him, you can trust Him entirely. Indeed, it is your duty to entrust yourself to Him. If however, you are walking in the fear of man, which is denying Christ before men, then Christ will also deny you before the Father in Heaven. Then you will be subject to the sudden and violent endings to life in this realm that are your inheritance from “the Fall”:
“And some were present at the same time reporting to Him of the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. And answering, Jesus said to them, Do you suppose that these Galileans were sinners above all the Galileans because they suffered such things? I tell you, No. But unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were sinners above all men who lived in Jerusalem? I tell you, No. But unless you repent, you will all likewise perish” (Luke 13:1-5).
Repent, people. You may think or consider yourselves Christians, believers in Christ, but you all need to repent. Many are following other voices, philosophies, and christs. That is why many do not know why these things happen, and do not have the knowledge or assurance of what is the inheritance of the saints in God. That is why you are perishing in “accidents” and illnesses.
Speaking of which, Kyle also mentions disease, as if that is something that a true believer in God is yet subject to by the whims of nature and happenstance. This is more of the same lie. We have heard Jesus say that not a hair of your head could be touched. What, He is over humanity, but not the microbes? He also said this to His people:
“If you will diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD your God, and will do that which is right in His sight, and will give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon you, which I have brought upon the Egyptians; for I am the LORD that heals you” (Exodus 15:26).
Where do lies come from? Who is the liar? Who comes quoting God’s words, speaking as if on His behalf, yet contradicting Him? This is Satan, people. Satan is a very nice man, commonly with Bible under arm, with many friends in this world, denying the cross and resurrection power of Christ that delivers from sin and death. Christ comes with a sword, not to bring peace, but to divide by speaking the truth, and is hated for it. That is the way it works. God has said so, in many ways, at many times, and here again.
The theme of the final prayer delivered by Kyle, and recited aloud by the 800 members present at the church service, was, “Surprise me, God!” The next thing that happens, Kyle is electrocuted in the baptismal waters.
Even an avowed atheist must be moved by this coincidence. But surely, for any that name that wonderful Name of the Savior of all men, Jesus Christ, he or she must recognize His mighty hand at work. The wonder, though, for those who believe, is not that God is over all things, but that those professing Him still do not believe Him to be sovereign:
“I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside Me…. I form the light, and create darkness; I make peace, and create evil; I the LORD do all these things” (Isaiah 45:5-7).
How utterly irreverent a thing it is to test God by saying to Him, “Surprise me, God!” It is the very essence of irreverence. It is a great vexation to any that know and love God, and worship Him in spirit and truth. It is an irreverence born of believing God to be passive, if not impotent, regarding affairs on earth, as Kyle declared Him to be. It is not the Lord God that Kyle described or believed in, but another god, made in man’s image. The problem and danger was that Kyle proclaimed his god to be the God and Lord Jesus Christ.
So the real and true God, the Lord Jesus Christ, did surprise him, along with the 800 who watched him get electrocuted, and all the rest of those who hear about this, but who do not believe Christ to be alive and reigning supreme over all things in Heaven and on earth.
Some think that because Kyle was a church pastor, God would not strike him down. If you are among those, you should know that taking the Name of God upon oneself, and presuming to minister in His Name when not sent of Him, is making oneself to be a lightning rod for His wrath.
Consider the sons of Korah. These were Levites, separated by God to do Him service. Yet when they rebelled against the order of God, assuming themselves to be able, and demanding, to do what He had not called them to do, they were surprised by the sudden death of being swallowed up by the earth (Numbers 16).
Consider Nadab and Abihu, Aaron’s two sons, who offered strange fire before the Lord and were destroyed by fire. They took it upon themselves to determine how to serve God, contrary to God’s will. Was Kyle doing any differently? As servants, we know for certain that the statement, “Surprise me, God,” would be an insult to Him. Why would He not bring such a judgment?
Two believers, Ananias and Sapphira, conceived to perpetrate a lie on the people of God, and were also surprised by God with sudden death (Acts 5). We read that after this, great fear came upon the church, upon as many as heard these things. I would hope to see the same now, but people are so hard that I do not expect it yet. Nevertheless, as hard as you are, God is God, and will have the last word. He knows how to abase those that are proud (Daniel 4:37).
However, I am not speaking here as if Kyle was partaking in the authentic and mystical church of God. Kyle was a part of that vast system of men’s works that has appropriated to itself the Name of Christ, but is not His body.
Nevertheless, God is judging men’s works. It is time. Those who are His need to come out of these works, or they too will suffer under the destruction there, as did Kyle. Let his death be a warning to all regarding believing falsehoods and lies in the Name of God. Let it be a warning not to tempt God as though He were a powerless and harmless Lamb. Remember that in the day of His manifestation, men shall say that they would rather the rocks and mountains fall on them than to see, “the face of Him that sits on the throne, and…the wrath of the Lamb” (Rev. 6:16). Remember the words of Jesus, “Except you repent, you shall all likewise perish.”
Contending for the faith,
Paul Cohen
To all concerned and involved, Victor Hafichuk here.
Paul has expressed our understanding in this event, but I also have words for Terry Esau.
Baalam was responsible for the lives of many Israelites by teaching the Midianites to put a stumblingblock before them, wherein they committed fornication. He was also the undoing of Balak and the Midianites, by encouraging them to come against God. God destroyed them, along with Balaam.
Terry, contained herein are statements you made. According to this information, you were the inspiration for Kyle’s prayer, by way of your teaching, “Surprise Me, a 30-Day Faith Experiment”. This report then says:
“When asked if he thought the events were result of asking to be surprised, Esau, who witnessed the electrocution, said, ‘I wish I could answer that. I honestly, truly don’t know. That gets you into all kinds of really, really hard questions. ‘Does God cause everything to happen?’ or ‘Is there tragedy and chaos and stuff in the world because it’s the natural consequences of humankind and our freedom of choice?”“
How is it that you would teach in the Name of the Lord when you do not know anything, when you have no answers to fundamental questions clearly answered by the Lord to all those who are His true servants? Are your ways not comparable to that of a child handling a loaded gun? The question you taught Kyle and his congregation to pray was an insult to God.
This report goes on to say, “Esau speculated on what Lake could have said about the stunning event…” reporting you to say: “I think he would have said, ‘There are laws of nature, electrical laws, and they were violated that day and I was in a really bad place where the violation happened.’“
There are many laws, yes, “electrical laws” among them, and moral laws as well. The Bible says that by the Lawmaker they operate, and can only operate by Him. The Bible declares that all things were made by Him and for Him, and that by Him all things consist. In this case, you broke the moral law of God and taught others to do the same. Thus, Kyle Lake is dead, his wife a widow, and his children are fatherless, and you have done it with your covetousness, ignorance, presumption and pride. Terry, not that Kyle was guiltless, but you killed Kyle Lake with your lies and misrepresentation of God.
Then, instead of having repentance for your deeds, apparently quite ignorant of your evil influence, you are recorded to do the following:
“Esau addressed some 4,000 Baylor University students the following day, and invited them to question and wrestle with what happened, saying God is not intimidated by our questions, though Esau couldn’t explain why the tragedy occurred.“
How can God possibly be intimidated by questions from anyone? What a profound statement! Could anyone in his or her right mind even begin to imagine that His creatures can intimidate the Almighty? I think your statement is one of arrogance, in that it could even suggest such a thought. However, while He is not intimidated, He can certainly be offended, which is what a fool heeding a fool’s advice discovered the hard way, and you have no explanation!
You then pose the following questions, among others, to the Baylor students:
“Who is God? How does He fit in with me?”
You go on to say:
“If people can start wrestling with these questions instead of just putting their lives on cruise control and saying, ‘It is what it is, I need to make money, I need to be comfortable,’ then I think good has come from it. I think Kyle would be pleased with that.“
“How does HE fit in with ME?” you instruct others to ask? Are you not satisfied with Kyle’s death? You need more victims? Who are you to speak of God fitting in with you or anyone else? We are talking about none other than God Almighty, and what I see here is an arrogant devil, an adversary of God, almost as impudent and audacious as one can be, presuming to fit God in his back pocket. You have certainly been feeding from the Tree of Knowledge and directing others to do so, have you not?
Your first name is Terence, meaning “smooth one,” and your surname, Esau, was the child of the flesh. This event is poetic and very Scriptural to boot. Esau, with your form of godliness, as Balaam, you are a murderer, and you continue to kill. To that end you serve well, but what will your pay be when you discover that the Great Lawmaker and Sustainer, Whom you assume is rather removed from His creation, pays you a visit when you least expect it? Will Kyle be pleased with that?
“The prophet Enoch, who was the seventh after Adam, said of these men, The Lord came with tens of thousands of His saints, to be the judge of all, and to give a decision against all those whose lives are unpleasing to Him, because of the evil acts which they have done, and because of all the hard things which sinners without fear of God have said against Him. These are the men who make trouble, ever desiring change, going after evil pleasures, using high-sounding words, respecting men’s position in the hope of reward” (Jude 1:14-16 Bible in Basic English).
Contending earnestly for the faith once delivered to the saints,
Victor Hafichuk