According to Mark Duke, If You Know Someone Is Off, Tell Them... Laura Vaughn - You're OFF!!

The first audio clip in this post contains the voice of House of God member Laura Vaughn paying homage to her spiritual leader, Mark Duke. Mrs. Vaughn has been the children’s minister for the House of God and she is the wife of current House of God pastor, Dan Vaughn.

In the clip Mrs. Vaughn compares Mark Duke to the Apostle Paul and Stephen, Christianity’s first true martyr. She also states that Mark [Duke] “personifies that prophet deliverer that represents the Lord.”

The second audio clip included with this post contains the voice of Mark Duke preaching to the House of God. This preaching happens in the same service, just prior to Laura Vaughn’s comparison of Duke to Stephen.

In his preaching Mark Duke claims “that this is about your soul, because without this you will not last, you will not live forever. You have to be willing to lay it all down, the things that you’re attached to; you have to be willing to move on. The “this” that Duke is talking about is his teachings, the gospel of the House of God. Some of the “things” that his followers might be attached to include husbands, family and friends who don’t agree with Duke’s gospel.

Duke quotes parts of 1 Corinthians Chapter 13, verses 1 through 11 from the King James Bible (KJV), but when he gets to verse 11, he twists it to be about him. Here is what verse 11 says: When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. Here is what Duke says: “…I thought as a child, but when that love came, I became a man… and I died, for my lord.” Duke then follows his Scripture twisting with a very strange prayer where he talks about Jesus being tempted by the Devil and being ministered to by angels, and him [Mark Duke] stating that he died on the floor of the school where the House of God was having its service that very morning and that two angels who had ministered to him. He also prays that God would live forever with no turning back.

Please listen to both of the audio clips and examine closely what is being said.

Here is my view:

First: Mrs. Vaughn, [speaking of Mark Duke] says that she thought about Stephen, “about how the Lord brought him so far …how he was able to speak for the Lord even in the midst of great persecution …and even at his death he was able to do that”

WRONG. The mention of Stephen in the Bible starts in the book of Acts, chapter 6. What we know is that Stephen was a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost. Mrs. Vaughn has it partially correct when she speaks of Stephen, he indeed did speak for the Lord under great persecution. Chapter 7 of Acts tells of Stephen speaking for God in his passionate sermon to the Jews. But at his death, Stephen did not speak for God, he spoke to God.

Acts 7:59-60 (KJV)
59 And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.
60 And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep. (emphasis added)

The words “calling upon” in verse 59 come from the Greek word, epikaleō, which is better translated in this context as “prayed” (as it is in some modern translations, such as the NIV). Stephen is literally “calling upon” Jesus Christ in prayer. Stephen would not have called upon a mere man as he was being stoned to death, and as a religious Jew Stephen would not have prayed to anyone other than the one true God. Notice also that Stephen is asking the Lord Jesus to not hold the sin of those stoning him against them. Jesus Christ has the sole responsibility to judge our sin.

I point these things out for two main reasons; one, in Mark Duke's false religion, Jesus is not God, He is only a man. Two, the House of God exclusively uses the King James Version (KJV) of the Bible. The KJV is a favorite Bible translation of many people, but it is generally not the best translation. Some of the modern translations are much more accurate than the KJV. The link to Biblegateway.com that is provided below provides many different translations (including the KJV); and is a great tool for studying and understanding Scripture.

Mark Duke certainly appears to be a man filled with faith, but one must ask; what faith? Stephen was a Christian, a believer in and follower of the Carpenter - Jesus of Nazareth. He was a man who worshipped Jesus as God. Mark Duke is not someone who worships Jesus Christ as God, and as a result he is not a Christian in the sense of the historic and orthodox Christian faith. Comparing Mark Duke to Stephen as a man of faith is wrong.

In more than one verse we see Stephen spoken of as a man who was filled with the Holy Ghost or Spirit. It has been long held by the Christian Church that only Christians are filled with the Holy Spirit and have the spiritual gifts of God, and it is Jesus Christ who sends the Holy Spirit and His gifts. Comparing Mark Duke to Stephen as a man filled with the Holy Spirit is wrong.

Second: Laura Vaughn compares Mark Duke with the Apostle Paul.

WRONG. That the Apostle Paul believed, followed and paid the ultimate price as a martyr for Jesus Christ is undeniable. There are many who deny Jesus Christ as Mark Duke does, but it would be impossible for them to use the Apostle Paul’s words correctly and in context to do it. Suffice it to say, Mark Duke is not anything like the Apostle Paul.

Paul spoke boldly for the true Jesus Christ of Scripture and carried the true gospel to the world. Mark Duke denies Jesus is God and spreads a false gospel. To paraphrase Paul’s words in Galatians 1:7; Mark Duke’s gospel isn’t good news at all – it is perverted spirituality. In a word, comparing Mark Duke to the Apostle Paul is, wrong.

Of course Paul was the greatest missionary of all times, and his behavior prior to his conversion, particularly his persecution of the first Christians is often used by cults to label those who speak against them. Mark Duke and his sycophants are very typical in that regard.

Both Mark Duke and his lawyer, Julian McPhillips, have publicly labeled me that way. Mark Duke has said it on his RealTalk radio programs, even reading from one of Julian McPhillips bizarre letters that implores me to “not let yourself become a pharasitical [sic.] persecutor of the freedom Foundation the way Saul of Tarsus was of the early Christians, before his conversion experience on the road to Damascus, whereupon his name later changed to Paul.” This is typical cult rhetoric.

I’m not telling readers what I think Mark Duke believes about Jesus Christ and the gospel, I’m telling them what Mark Duke says that he believes about Jesus Christ and the gospel. There is a huge difference between the two, and any reasonable person can see through this cult's labeling of detractors and dissenters.

Third: Laura Vaughn says that “Mark [Duke] personifies that prophet deliverer that’s also been sent that represents the Lord. He’s just brought those words of truth that are bringing us out of a place of misery…”

WRONG, WRONG, WRONG! Mark Duke denies that the Lord Jesus Christ is God. As a result he cannot represent the Lord. From a spiritual perspective, Mark Duke cannot bring words of truth. As someone who has listened to many hours of Mark Duke’s preaching, I can hardly describe how “off” Laura Vaughn is with her comments calling Mark Duke a “prophet deliverer;” and it shows how deep and dangerous his spiritual deception is. Guess who some of the heroes of the Bible Mark Duke preaches as prophet deliverers: Moses, Joseph, Jeremiah, Jesus. That’s right; Jesus. In the eyes of the House of God, Laura Vaughn describes Mark Duke just as they would Jesus! No small wonder that Mark Duke tells his followers that he’s "been like a god to them." (click here to listen to Mark Duke's blasphemous claim)

Please don’t simply accept what I say as truth; listen to the audio clips and open your Bible to compare what is being taught by Mark Duke and the House of God with what God says in Scripture.

If you don’t have a Bible handy, you can read one online at Bible Gateway™ by Clicking Here.


If you are a follower of or a sympathizer with Mark Duke and the House of God, I encourage you to follow the example of Stephen, call upon Jesus today. He is the only one who can truly offer you redemption and the forgiveness of sin.

He who has ears…..


Clip #1 Laura Vaughn - Click the Play Button above to hear it.


Clip #2 Mark Duke - Click the Play Button above to hear it.

You can easily share this blog entry with others by clicking on the email link (envelope icon) below.