He claims that God spoke to him that a demonic spirit named “accuser of the brethren” (Rev. 12:10) will take down righteous men. No. Righteous men have nothing to fear from ordinary Christians who are called to expose deeds of darkness (Eph. 5:11). Would God speak a misinterpretation of this verse?
Landon Schott is the founding pastor of Mercy Culture Church.
This post has seven points.
First, here are the verses on which he bases his supposed word from the Lord:
10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say:
“Now have come the salvation and the power
and the kingdom of our God,
and the authority of his Messiah.
For the accuser of our brothers and sisters,
who accuses them before our God day and night,
has been hurled down.
11 They triumphed over him
by the blood of the Lamb
and by the word of their testimony;
they did not love their lives so much
as to shrink from death. (Rev. 12:10-11, NIV, emphasis added)
Those verse speak of Satan accusing all of the true church day and night. This takes place (or took place) in the heavenly realms. And the accuser has been defeated by the blood of the Lamb, and people loudly proclaiming that they have been forgiven–their testimony that says they are willing to suffer martyrdom, if necessary. The key clause is not about the people of God exposing the abusers of the sisters and defending their cause, since pastors like Schott won’t step up to defend them.
A written article:
Here is a video of Schott yelling and judo chopping the air for emphasis and defending the men who abuse (before Brown’s Firefly report is finalized) and falsely accusing those of us who expose darkness of coming under a demonic spirit:
Source: Roys Report: Landon Schott Warns of ‘Accuser of the Brethren,’ Leads Ovation for Michael Brown – Feb. 23, 2025
In that video he says no one should hide behind a PhD. I have one, but I’m not hiding. I’m out in the open.
Second, Julie Roys is a God-called journalist who is doing his will. She is not in league with Satan. Maybe those who care more about the abusers of the sisters are more closely aligned with darkness. She is not a Jezebel or a wolf. (Anyone who calls her, of all people, a Jezebel doesn’t know what that is. He should stop throwing around the ugly, abusive term.)
Three simple equations, for clarity:
The abuser = the wolf
The one who points out the wolf ≠ the wolf and ≠ Jezebel
Victim who steps forward = hero ≠ Jezebel
I certainly hope that Schott is not an accuser of the brothers and sisters who expose the abusers. (I won’t call him an Ahab, the husband of Jezebel.) Those who expose darkness are not motivated by a demonic spirit. Just the opposite.
I hope Schott is not hiding behind spiritual warfare. When true reports expose the deeds of darkness, all he has to do now is shout, “Accuser of the brethren! Accuser of the brethren! Ignore the victim and her pain! Ignore her search for justice! She’s a Jezebel!” See? Problem solved. No. Too easy. Too simplistic. If anything is demonic, it’s his action that has now built a firewall to protect abusers of the sisters (and sometimes abusers of boys and girls).
I applaud Julie Roys for shining the light into demonic darkness and defending the victims of abuse. Schott could learn from her, instead of falsely accusing her. But he seems unteachable, to judge from his yelling and name calling. Mega-church pastors can become unteachable.
Third, why does Schott not specify what the abusers of the sisters have done? Name the abuse. Name the butt-slapping. The lap-sitting. The lip-kissing. Also, read the Firefly Report about Mike Bickle. The victims of his abuse are not accusers of the brothers. Listen to Jonathan and Suzie Lamb and their story about their abused daughter. Nor are they demonic accusers of the brother (“Pete”).
Expend equal energy calling it out, Landon Schott, specifically. Exercise your pastoral care for the victims. They are not satanic accusers of the brethren. Stop yelling at those who expose the deeds of darkness.
Jesus supported the downtrodden all the time, as he called out the religious leaders who lay on ordinary people burdens they could not carry.
28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matt. 11:28-30, NIV)
And these verses about an oppressed woman:
15 The Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Doesn’t each of you on the Sabbath untie your ox or donkey from the stall and lead it out to give it water? 16 Then should not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen long years, be set free on the Sabbath day from what bound her?” (Luke 15:15-16, NIV)
In those two passages, Jesus is setting the abused free. He denounced the leaders who did not care about them.
Also see Matthew 23, where Jesus denounced the religious leaders, calling them all sorts of unhappy names. Maybe it’s time to follow Jesus and denounce mega pastors, like Schott, who close ranks around other men. Mega Pastor Boys Club.
When Jesus Used Harsh Language
Fourth, is Schott not aware that Michael L. Brown is currently under investigation (at the time of this writing) for not a few misdeeds?
I am willing to forgive and restore church leaders who stepped out of line many years ago, if the consummated affair was a one-off, or the brief affair was unconsummated, between consenting adults (no crimes with minors); they must not have repeated the misconduct since then and go through a restoration process. I am even willing to restore him if the one-off, brief fling was recent, but only if the other criteria are met. And yes, consummated adultery is worse than the unconsummated version (see 1 Cor. 6:16). But each case must be carefully considered on its own terms.
However, more whistleblowers are now stepping forward and alleging additional misconduct in the Brown case. So I will wait until the final report. Schott should have done the same–wait.
Fifth, Schott should now start to listen to the whistleblowers in the Brown case. Blaise Foret on his podcast Wake Up and Win has published at least four videos about it:
Here are the links:
Foret will probably post more interviews and exposés.
Over on X, Schott can read about victims Sarah Monk and a man named Ray, whose wife Dr. Brown got involved with. (He can search Ron Cantor.) Both claim that he lied about the events and withheld inculpating evidence, to control the narrative. This is why they stepped forward. Pastor Schott, tell your “apostolic elder” to stop doing this.
Sixth, the pastoral epistles guide us to expose the abuse and misconduct, not an out-of-context misinterpretation of Revelation 12:10 about some demonic spirit motivating those who shine the light and expose darkness.
19 Do not entertain an accusation against an elder unless it is brought by two or three witnesses. 20 But those elders who are sinning you are to reprove before everyone, so that the others may take warning. (1 Tim. 5:19-20)
Those verses are down-to-earth realities, not over-spiritualized nonsense. Dr. Brown claims he is a national leader and father of the Body, whatever that means. (He’s not, but that’s his claim.) So according to his own words, he fits the truth of those verses. More than three witnesses are stepping forward to corroborate and expose the deeds of darkness.
Seventh and finally, there is no such thing as an “apostolic elder.” It is nowhere to be found in the NT. Modern American, unscriptural church fads and innovations are being exploited to puff people up.
Here are biblical apostles:
Do New Testament Apostles Exist Today?
Check Out What Two Genuine Apostles Did and How They Lived: Close Look at Acts 13-14
Here is my review of Dr. Brown’s friend Joseph Mattera’s book, who innovated his ideas about “apostolic elders” beyond Scripture:
Review of Joseph Mattera’s Book ‘The Global Apostolic Movement and the Progress of the Gospel’ (two thumbs down!)
Jesus to the church at Ephesus:
2 I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. […] that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. (Rev. 2:2, NIV)
To conclude, Schott shot his best shot, but he missed. He did not receive a word from the Lord about an evil spirit named ‘accuser of the brethren,’ aiming to take down truly righteous men. It was just a thought that entered his mind, which he took to be from the Lord. How do I know it was not from the Lord? Because it misuses Revelation 12:10 and contradicts 1 Timothy 5:19-20. True words from the Lord do not contradict or abuse Scripture (1 Cor. 14:29; 1 John 4:1).
Three Sources of Prophecy (one good, two bad)
He needs to repent of his loud, shouting callousness towards the victims of abusers and show mercy to them first and foremost. He cannot yell “accuser of the brethren!” whenever the human deeds of darkness are exposed. Too facile. He must publicly apologize to the genuine victims who are seeking healing. He must also publicly apologize to Julie Roys and her report for his slanders.
Mercy Culture, Pastor Landon. Show mercy to the victims long before the perpetrators.
RELATED
Half-Truths in Dr. Brown’s Interview at Mercy Culture Church
Calling Leaders by Name to Repent
Disturbing Allegations against Dr. Michael Brown (I now conclude that he can never return to ministry.)
Basic Facts and Allegations about Joni Lamb and Doug Weiss of Daystar TV
Don’t Make Excuses for Unsound Christian Leaders
Can Fallen Church Leaders Be Restored to Ministry?
Stop Weaponizing Matthew 18 against Victims of Clergy Abuse
Matthew 5:28 and Adultery in the Heart
Matthew 7:21-23: “I Never Knew You, Depart from Me!”
Dr. Jim's Essential Bible Teaching 