A Special Report by Understand the Times and Lighthouse Trails
As America is quickly approaching another presidential election year, some interesting things are taking place within evangelical/Protestant Christianity that are connected to next year’s election. Dominionist/Kingdom Now political and religious figures are joining forces with evangelical Christian groups. While having concern for the state of America is more than legitimate, will Christians replace commitment and loyalty to the Gospel for commitment and loyalty to a dominionist agenda? If they do, they will learn the hard way that compromise and a “whatever it takes” attitude will do more harm to the cause of Jesus Christ than good.
This article is not a statement that Christians should not be involved in or concerned about the political state of their countries. Rather, the intention of this article is to exhort believers to use discernment in understanding the times in which we live. It is to show how a present ecumenical, dominionist movement (that is heading toward a one-world religion to “establish the kingdom of God on earth”) is operating and deceiving many Christians. As Christians, we are to be witnesses for Jesus Christ and His Gospel message of salvation to those who believe on Him by faith. But today, many Christians may be on the brink of buying into a plan that will ultimately create a global religion and global government.
The apostle Paul was very clear that we are not to entangle ourselves with those who say they are of the faith but preach “another gospel” (Romans 16:17, Titus 3:10, 2 Corinthians 11: 13-15).
The definition below of dominionism is helpful in understanding the goals of the dominionist movement:
The Gospel of Salvation [according to dominionism] is achieved by setting up the “Kingdom of God” as a literal and physical kingdom to be “advanced” on Earth in the present age. Some dominionists liken the New Testament Kingdom to the Old Testament Israel in ways that justify taking up the sword, or other methods of punitive judgment, to war against enemies of their kingdom. Dominionists teach that men can be coerced or compelled to enter the kingdom. They assign to the Church duties and rights that belong Scripturally only to Jesus Christ.(1)
Dominionism shares some of the same ideologies as the emerging church, the primary similarity being the belief that a utopian “kingdom of God” will be set up on earth prior to the return of Jesus Christ, and in fact there won’t actually be a bodily physical return of Christ; but rather His presence will become more manifest within us the more the kingdom of God on earth is created. This is totally contrary to Scripture that tells us that Jesus Christ will return physically (where every eye shall see Him), and it will be to a world that has become completely chaotic and reprobate, not utopian and godly.
Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. (Revelation 1:7)
With that in mind, it is vital to know that a number of dominionist groups are rallying the support of conservative Christians under the guise of “restoring America” back to its “Christian roots.” A look at a couple of these groups is important.
The Seven Mountains of Culture
The Seven Mountains of Culture was founded by Os Hillman who is the founder and executive director of Marketplace Leaders Ministries. Hillman teaches a workshop called The Change Agent Intensive Workshop and has been featured on many major media programs.
The best way to describe The Seven Mountains of Culture is through the following promotional video clip:
An article titled “7 Mountains – Set to Go Viral” by Discernment Ministries examines the goals of this dominionist agenda, expressing “concern that this radical mandate for dominionism, and the leaders of the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) which birthed it, are becoming part of the political Right and evangelical mainstream.” The article states that the “7 mountains mandate is already becoming a unifying rally point among evangelicals from many diverse theological camps and from some very unexpected quarters.”
The Dominionist/Reclaiming our Culture mind-set is a dangerous path that leads, not to biblical truth, but rather to an ecumenical, Road to Rome, “Army for God” that will attempt to force culture to be “Christian” (something Jesus Christ or the disciples never mandated) and will end up leading all down that Road to Rome and eventually into a one-world religion and one-world government.
The Discernment Ministries article assesses:
Not only does the Kingdom of God have a different King to the kingdoms of the world, but it has different citizens, has a different future and it operates by different principles. One of the principles that makes God’s Kingdom radically different to that of the world is the lust for power as opposed to the willingness to serve.
“Jesus said: ‘Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.’” (Matthew 20:25-28).(2)
This is not to say that Christians should not try to be a light and the “salt” in a fallen culture (Matthew 5:13). But there is a difference between what Scripture instructs us to do and what the 7 Mountains movers teach; they believe they are “building an actual PHYSICAL kingdom here on earth — structurally through man’s mechanisms. This is the 7 mountains that they want to take over. They believe they can take them over by political, scientific, and psycho-social means.” And like the New Agers, they also want to build the spiritual kingdom within, “which they believe they can perfect themselves here on earth via mysticism” thus “they will begin to ‘manifest’ Christ — become the sons of God.”(3)
The Call
Lou Engle’s The Call is another dominionist group that is tied in with the 7 Mountain agenda. In a 2008 Lighthouse Trails article, we linked to the advisory board of The Call. The link has been removed from their site but this cache file shows the members at that time. Some of them are contemplative advocate Ron Luce (Teen Mania), Loren Cunningham (founder of YWAM, featured on the 7 Mountain video above), Steve Douglas of Campus Crusade for Christ (which just removed the name Crusade and Christ from their name), Rick Joyner, and C. Peter Wagner – dominionist figures who want to bring the kingdom of God to earth before Christ returns. The following video is from a large youth rally put on by The Call. You will see Lou Engle and Rick Joyner watching thousands of young people jumping up and down to the repetitive beat of drums and hundreds of Shofars being blown.
A Civil War?
In a radio transcript titled “Blues and Grays,” Understand the Times states:
Christianity is about to be purified through a civil war, they say. Is this behavior indicative of a revival as some claim? Or is this exactly what occurred in the past when “enlightened Christians” became the “manifested sons of God”?
[In] an article written by Rick Joyner called the Coming Civil War in the Church. . . . Joyner states he believes a civil war will soon be breaking out within the church. He states: “There is a huge portion of the church which is being held bondage to the same religious spirit that manifested itself to the Pharisees, and it will attack any new movement that arises in the church. The more anointed the new movement is, the more these traditionalists will be threatened by it, and the more vehemently they will attack it.”
Joyner’s solution for removing the people who oppose this “anointed new move” sounds rather militant. Listen to what he says:
“The longer we continue to compromise with such institutions which use manipulation or control for the sake of unity or for any reason the more it will ultimately cost us to remove the cancer from our midst.”
Joyner then went on to describe how the conflict in the church will develop:
“The coming spiritual civil war will be between the Blue’s and the Gray’s. In dreams and visions blue often represents heavenly-mindedness, and gray speaks of those who live by the power of their own minds – which is equivalent to the brain’s gray matter. This will be a conflict between those who may be genuine Christians, but who live mostly according to their natural minds and human wisdom, and those who follow the Holy Spirit.” (4)
Jerry Boykin and Rick Joyner
A name that is showing up a lot on the speaking schedules of evangelical gatherings is that of General Jerry Boykin (once a Delta Force member and one time head of the Green Berets). Boykin is a high officer in the “Knights of Malta,* an ecumenical (Orthodox, Evangelical, Catholic and Protestant) order. Boykin holds the title of Grand Chancellor in the Order. According to the Knights of Malta website, the order is sanctioned and “blessed” by the Vatican (see 1 and 2 document). In document 1, Pope Benedict XVI “invokes . . . the continued protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary.” Each “Knight,” including Boykin (and Rick Joyner who is a “Supreme Council Member” of the Order), is required to take a vow. In this vow, the Knight pledges himself to “be guided by the ideas of the Sovereign Order of St John of Jerusalem (started in 1090 and is the predecessor of the Knights of Malta).
Many people may not realize what the term ecumenical actually means, at least to the Catholic church, which describes ecumenism as the absorption of all Christian groups that have “broken away” from the Mother Church back to it.(5)
Jerry Boykin has spoken at numerous dominionist events such as the 7 Mountains conferences (see May 2010) and a New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) event called Transformation Michigan. In addition, Boykin is on the board of Rick Joyner’s organization called The Oak Initiative. (Joyner is the President; other board members include dominionists Cindy Jacobs and Lance Wallnau).
In Kevin Reeves book, The Other Side of the River, Reeves discusses Rick Joyner. Reeves, a former elder of a Latter Rain/dominionist church, states:
Joyner’s blatant Latter Rain beliefs were assimilated into our congregation on the wings of the mythical end-times revival which would supposedly sweep millions into the kingdom. A super-spiritual elite group of prophets and apostles will be raised up, Joyner states, and will transform the world of these last days, doing greater miracles than even the apostles who walked with our Lord. Whole nations will tremble at the mention of their names.
Interesting. Sounds a lot easier to deal with than Jesus’ prophecy that “[Y]e shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake” (Matthew 24:9).(6)
In Final Quest, Joyner says he hears from a dead saint (one of the foolish virgins mentioned in Scripture), who has told him the things that are to come. According to researcher and writer Sarah Leslie, “Rick Joyner was one of the ‘Kansas City Prophets’ who now wields considerable influence through his ‘prophecies’ about a coming militant church.”(7) Joyner states:
We are coming to the times when passive Christianity and passive Christians will cease to exist. There is a maturity, a discipline, and a divine militancy coming upon the people of God. Those who have succumbed to humanistic and idealistic theologies may have a hard time with this, but we must understand that God is a military God. The title that He uses ten times more than any other in Scripture is "the Lord of hosts," or "Lord of armies." There is a martial aspect to His character that we must understand and embrace for the times and the job to which we are now coming.(8)
We know that the Lord will return with a cloud of witnesses to bring down judgment on the earth, but we don’t believe Rick Joyner or the self-proclaimed apostles and prophets will be leading the way.
Jerry Boykin and Calvary Chapel
It is non-debatable that Jerry Boykin resonates with Rick Joyner – they are in the same Knights of Malta order and are together in The Oak Initiative. Thus, it is troubling to learn that Boykin has been speaking at numerous different Calvary Chapels and sharing platforms at conferences with Chuck Smith and other Calvary Chapel pastors over the last few years (e.g., the 2009 Epicenter conference and Epicenter 2008 with Smith, Boykin, and Joel Rosenberg; Greg Laurie’s Preach the Word Prophecy Conference in 2010, Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa in 2009, and Calvary Chapel Chino Hills Prophecy Conference in March 2011). Boykin will also be speaking at the Calvary Chapel Honolulu Pastors’ Conference in August 2011: http://www.calvarychapelofhonolulu.com/htw_2011.html, and his materials are sold in the Calvary Chapel store, listed as one of four “Other Authors.”
So here we have a man who is part of an order sanctioned by the papacy (the certificate from the Vatican is on the Knights of Malta website) and part of a dominionist group, speaking to Calvary Chapel groups. Is Calvary Chapel going to be one of those evangelical/Protestant groups that will exchange the solidity of the Gospel for a “whatever it takes” attitude for political purposes and other purposes? Do they not see the error in this? Incidentally, other denominations and Christian groups are doing the same thing.
Presidential Candidate Rick Perry and His Dominionist Partners
On August 6th, 2011, Texas Governor Rick Perry took part in a rally called The Response. Perry, who announced his bid as a presidential candidate on August 13, 2011, partnered with some interesting figures at The Response, including C. Peter Wagner, Mike Bickle, and Cindy Jacobs, each of whom is in the dominionist camp. Perry also participated in a 2010 rally called Freedom Foundation Summit with Rick Joyner, Cindy Jacobs, Lou Engle, and Lance Wallnau (an “Apostle” promoting the 7 Mountains teaching). If Perry does not share the dominionist persuasion as these others do, should he not distance himself from them rather than mingle with them? Many proclaiming Christians in America are desperate for a godly leader and may follow Perry merely out of that desperation. But if he is truly tied in with Wagner, Joyner, Bickle, and Jacobs, then maybe these desperate Christians should think twice about which candidate they are going to rally behind.
Will the Christian Church Sell Out?
During the years just prior to the last presidential election, an all out effort was made by leaders in the emerging church to help get elected a liberal, far left president. Many of these leaders, such as Rick Warren, said things that made many conservative Christians feel guilty for voting on moral issues such as abortion and homosexuality. Books by emerging “progressive” authors suggested that Christians shouldn’t even become involved in politics (such as Shane Claiborne’s book, Jesus for President). And while the older conservatives were being manipulated not to vote, young Christians were being persuaded to vote differently than their “old fashioned parents,” to vote for social justice regardless of biblical standards or lack of them. And, well, no need to say what these emerging efforts did to America.
No single political party can save the world. The Bible says that the closer we draw to the second coming of Christ, the worse the state of the world will be in. Rather than “evolving” into perfection, mankind is disintegrating.(9) It’s because of man’s sin and a world that has for the most part rejected the Savior of the world. Revelation 12:9 states that the day will come when Satan will “deceiveth the whole world.” Yet just as Jesus gave the coin to pay the tax to Caesar, so too we as Christians can be responsibly active in our world. But foremost, let us remember that the Bible says we cannot serve both God and man at the same time (Matthew 6:24).The true calling of born again believers is to preach the Gospel, make disciples, and contend for the faith. And we must never compromise by embracing dominionist agendas and interspiritual Peace Plans and joining forces with those whose goals and ambitions are contrary to the Christian commission given to us by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We must ask ourselves, is a militant dominionist agenda what we really want to embrace and support? Is it what we want to serve?
In a powerful radio interview, Ingrid Schlueter addressed this dominionist agenda. She stated:
We have a group of leaders who are horrified with the moral collapse in this country. I am horrified with the cultural collapse in this country. We have a problem in identifying and discerning why our culture is collapsing. What we are seeing around us is not fruit of Christians not caring. It’s fruit of Christians abandoning the gospel. And if we’re not going to define the gospel along biblical terms, and we’re going to allow false teachers in among us, and we’re going to link arms with said false teachers, and we’re going to work with them who are preaching another gospel, who are teaching lies, if we’re going to link arms with them to save the culture, we are not only engaged in a futile effort, but God is going to, in turn, judge that conduct. Because judgment, Scripture tells us, begins at the house of God.(10)
A Herescope article on this issue states:
The sad fact is that great opportunities to present the message of the gospel of salvation are being lost. Precious time is being wasted . . . Those who truly need to hear a message of repentance, salvation and hope aren’t being witnessed to. Discipleship isn’t happening. . . . It is a false gospel that preaches that the culture nation can be changed rather than focusing on the lost who will perish in hell if they do not repent. . . . And when the lost are truly saved and born again, their lives will change and this is when the miracles begin to happen and when the culture around them begins to be positively impacted by the salt and light of their changed lives.(11)
Understand The Times and Lighthouse Trails are dedicated to warning the sheep about last days spiritual deception. While it is difficult to have to sound this warning at a time when many are concerned about the state of their countries and the world at large, Jesus made it very clear about how we are to view the world, behave in the world, and reach out to the unsaved. He never told his disciples to form associations with those promoting spiritual deception in order to establish a kingdom on earth. On the contrary, Jesus said:
If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. (John 15:18-19)
Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you. (2 Corinthians 6:17)
My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence. (John 18:36)
Notes:
1. “Dominionism and the Rise of Christian Imperialism” by Sarah Leslie: http://www.crossroad.to/articles2/05/sarah-leslie/dominionism.htm
2. “Seven Mountains Set to Go Viral by Discernment Ministries”: http://herescope.blogspot.com/2010/06/seven-mountains.html
3. Sarah Leslie, Discernment Ministries in an e-mail conversation on 8/15/2011 with Lighthouse Trails.
4. “Blues and Grays” by Roger Oakland: http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/radio 1299 BLUES AND GRAYS.doc
5. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catholic_Church_and_ecumenism
6. Kevin Reeves, The Other Side of the River, (Eureka, MT: Lighthouse Trails Publishing, 2007), p. 99.
7. http://www.discernment-ministries.org/ChristianImperialism.htm
8. “TAKING THE LAND—“We Are Establishing Our Eternal Place And Position Here On Earth” by Rick Joyner, 11/29/05, http://www.elijahlist.com/words/display_word.html?ID=3617
9. Please watch Roger Oakland’s powerful DVD lecture series on evolution vs creation. It shows the connection between evolution and the current spiritual deception in the world today: Searching for the Truth on Origins.
10. VCY America interview between Ingrid Schlueter and Sarah Leslie: http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/blog/?p=4590
11. “May Day Prayers: What Repentance?” by Herescope: http://www.crossroad.to/articles2/010/discernment/5-may-day.htm
Showing posts with label dominionism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dominionism. Show all posts
August 17, 2011
May 1, 2011
Can the New Apostles and Prophets Seize Dominion by Political Intermarriage?
Can God's Supposed Lost Dominion Be Regained By Mere Political Means?
By Dr. Orrel Steinkamp
"How far into compromise will pastors go to “re-establish” America as a Christian nation? Has that become more important to them than serving the Lord and preaching the unadulterated Gospel of Jesus Christ WITHOUT COMPROMISE? If establishing the lie this kingdom of God on earth is so important that the Gospel fades in comparison, what are they willing to do next. . . ?"[1]
On April 12-13 there is scheduled "The Government Transformation Summit for Visionary Leaders" in San Antonio. It is also called "Justice at the Gate." Before we proceed with our comments we must establish that the term "transform or transformation" as used in Dominion writings is simply a code word for Dominion or Rule. The introduction to this conference begins:
"God's heart is to transform [read rule, ed.] the nations not just individuals.... You are not getting this invitation if your vision is simply to grow your congregation [read traditional evangelism, ed.]. We applaud and affirm that, but this personal invitation is extended exclusively to proven leaders who have a heart for their city, state or broader."
Some of the leading speakers introduced to us are: Ed Silvoso, considered by many as the father of the Nation Transforming Movement, and Jim Garlow, pastor of Skyline Church in San Diego, the one tapped by Newt Gingrich be the Chairman of Gingrich's Renewing American Leadership committed to freedom, faith and free markets. The introduction continues:
"Expand your vision to a movement [notice not the church, ed.] forging an intersection of worship, reconciliation [the new meaning of the term, ed.] Governance Systems and Nation-Changing transformation [notice the bringing together of transformation and Dominionism, ed.]."
The Dominionists are now hitting the political big-time. There was a conference scheduled at Liberty University on April 8-9 sponsored by Freedom Federation called Awakening 2011. Broadcast on C-Span for the first time, it included 60 nationally known political operatives and many Dominionist personalities. The politicos included: Newt Gingrich, Rep. Mike Spence, Gary Bauer, Frank Gaffney, Marco Rubio and Michele Bachmann. The Domionist Clergy included Rick Joyner, Lou Engle, Cindy Jacobs and David Barton.
Then, just recently on March 25-26, the Iowa Renewal Project "Rediscovering God in America" was held. This political event included pure politicians and Dominionist/Tea Party clergy. Included were George Barna, evangelical pollster and Jesuit trained. Barna in his 2009 book Master Leaders: Revealing Conversations with 30 Leadership Greats extolled as leadership greats New Age sympathizers Ken Blanchard, Laurie Beth Jones, Newt Gingrich and emergent futurist Erwin McManus. We can only assume that Barna resonates with their teachings. Also a speaker was Mike Huckabee Southern Baptist presidential candidate anointed by apostle Lou Engle's apostolic hands. Also a speaker was well known politico Newt Gingrich, a presidential candidate and a lapsed Baptist and recent Catholic convert and serial adulterer. Other speakers included Minnesota's own Michele Bachmann, the Oral Roberts trained Word/Faith Congresswomen. Mike Huckabee has previously accepted an endorsement by and spoken at a "Watchmen on the Walls" convention. Watchmen on the Walls is a Joel's Army radical Dominionist group active in Ex-USSR countries but with a major presence among Russian and Slavic emigrants.
I have in the last year written about the convergence of the New Apostolic Reformation and the Christian Right. Some articles on the net include: "The Coalescing of the Christian Right with Apostolic Dominionism," "R&R Revival and Revolt: The Tea Party's Strange Bedfellows and What They Believe," and "Mary Glazier: Wagner’s NAR Chief Prophetess In Alaska." Some months have passed and now these political apostles no longer feel any need to hide their political intentions and associations.
Roger Oakland, former Calvary Chapel lecturer, writing about the Iowa Renewal Project, can only exclaim:
"Are you familiar with these names: David Barton, Newt Gingrich, George Barna, Mike Huckabee? Do you know what Barna Group is? Do you know who David Barton is? What about Newt Gingrich? Do you know what role they are playing? WHAT IS GOING ON?
"If you look at the list of speakers for the Rediscovering God in America, it reminds me of a book I once read called Who's Who and What's What? Check out Barna and Barton and see for yourself their backgrounds and the things they are doing, then check out the Jesuit plan to establish the kingdom. Newt Gingrich is a Roman Catholic by his own admission, and he and Huckabee may each be running for President (or maybe a ticket together). George Barna was trained at a Jesuit college. And let’s not forget Rick Warren’s Purpose Driven Catholicism and Catholic convert, interfaith activist Tony Blair?"
Perhaps one reason Roger Oakland was concerned about this "secretive" event is that the two clergy at this Iowa political conference were Calvary Chapel pastors, namely, Jack Hibbs Calvary Chapel pastor in Chino Hills, CA and Ken Graves Calvary Chapel pastor in Orrington, ME.
"Rediscovering God in America"?
Those promoting God's absolute rule upon the earth have become bedfellows with national politicians and are calling for the Kingdom of God to be politically instituted first in America and then around the world. This is a convergence that goes well beyond elections cycles. It is a union of national politicians and clergy who share not only political views but also share a vision for a Christian political domination for the whole world, in order to bring back Jesus to the earth. They no longer wait for a King from heaven but are straining to establish a political kingdom of God upon the earth before The King can return. Their goals are like hidden leaven within American politics, disguising their real agenda from unsuspecting voters.
Rachael Tabachnick, in her report, "The Rise of Charismatic Dominionism," explained:
"These Christian warriors would no longer be constrained by having to wait for a future Rapture. The battle against evil to bring about the millennial utopia would not wait for divine intervention, but be initiated by human hands - an army of Christian warriors bringing about the Kingdom, now."
This is a major shift. Twenty-five years ago Pentecostals and evangelicals were all awaiting the Rapture. Now many, if not most, are on board looking to gain control of society and government, postponing the Rapture till the earth is one huge Christian caliphate. Tabachnick observed, "A newer and potent movement has emerged like a phoenix from the ashes of Darby's Dispensationalism."
This hybrid eschatology, a heresy, is described by Earl Paulk, in his Handwriting on the Wall (p. 20), as:
"Jesus Christ has now done all He can do, and He waits at the right hand of the His Father, until you and I as sons of God become manifest and make this world His footstool. He is waiting for us to say, 'Jesus, we have made the kingdoms of this world the Kingdom of our God, and are ruling and reigning in your world." [emphasis added]
There are thousands of Christians converted to Dominionism who already are found on school boards, city officials, state legislators and Tea Party elected officials. They are already in place and they take their cues from the Dominionist/Political leaders, and they are totally convinced they are in the exciting struggle to bring total Christian Dominion to the earth. Christian Dominionists have become the Christian Right on steroids. They are found in one party but they are also political squatters who ultimately will have no allegiance to any party whatsoever.
But it amazes me most that these dominion advocates can actually suggest that God, the August All-Powerful Sovereign of the Universe, would need to sneak back into a so-called regained dominion of all the earth on the coattails of political operatives! Isn't this demeaning to pronounce that our Sovereign God needs political endorsement and financial gifts from the world's Uber-Rich? Isn't God capable to openly placard to the world his own Dominionist aims (if indeed that were His will before He returns)? Isn't God sufficiently omnipotent to take dominion in His own name and authority -- without being beholden to common variety politicians and clerical camp-followers?
The self-anointed false apostles and prophets of the NAR (C. Peter Wagner's New Apostolic Reformation) make stupendous claims for wielding God's power even to the extreme of calling down from heaven ginned-up signs and wonders. Cindy Jacobs tells a story of the seraphim catching her hotel room on fire, etc. Why then do she and her co-apostles and prophets have to work cap-in-hand as mere political operatives?
If this political Dominionism should succeed do you think the God of creation would be happy to be an in-house vice regent with Newt or LDS Romney along the lines of the secret astrologer who advised Nancy Reagan on the safety of the president's foreign trips? How does this political dominionism construct compare to the biblical Jehovah Who chose to establish His rule by directly confronting the Egyptian Pharaoh?
D. James Kennedy, sometimes called by some the god-father of Dominionism, expressed his views openly. In 2005 He hosted at his church in Coral Gables a conference called, "Reclaiming America for Christ." He provided for the conferees some of his written materials. One such written source stated:
"We are to exercise godly dominion over our neighborhoods, our government , our entertainment, media our scientific endeavors, in short over every aspect and institutions of human society."
George Grant, who was for a time an associate pastor at Kennedy's church in Coral Gables expressed the dominion mandate ever more bluntly than Kennedy:
"Christians have an obligation, a mandate, a commission, a holy responsibility to reclaim the land for Jesus Christ - to have dominion in civil structures, just as in every other aspect of life and godliness. But it is dominion that we are after. Not just a voice. It is dominion we are after. Not just influence, it is dominion we are after. Not just equal time. It is dominion we are after. World conquest is that which Christ has commissioned us to accomplish. We must win the world with the power of the Gospel. And we must never settle for anything less. Christian politics has as its primary intent the conquest of the land of men, families, institutions, bureaucracies, courts and governments for the Kingdom of Christ." (George Grant, The Changing of the Guard: Biblical Principles for Political Action [Ft. Worth: Dominion Press, 1987], pp. 50-51)
The so-called Dominion Mandate is a fraudulent interpretation of Genesis 1:28 and the Great Commission. Note that the Genesis mandate was simply a stewardship responsibility over the land and sea and the animal species. This verse hardly refers to political institutions and other humans. In the Great Commission we are called to preach the Gospel and baptize the nations. But this can't have political dominion ramifications for how do you baptize whole nations? The only precedent that comes to my mind may be early Roman Catholic missionaries to China who declared the state evangelized and employed mass broom baptisms by dipping a broom in a pail and sprinkling the populace. Now China is hearing the Gospel, but it spreads not by state broom baptizing but from individual to individual. Furthermore, the Greek word ethne ("nations" in the Great Commission) does not refer to whole nations but it was a Jewish term for non-Jews, that is, Gentiles. The Gentile Church is evangelism by sharing the Gospel, person by person, and not by state sponsored Christian dominion.
How the Seven Spheres Became the Seven Mountains
It is not my purpose here to elaborate on the 7 mountains teaching. It has received sufficient coverage. But it is helpful to reflect on the history of this teaching in dominion circles. It is irrefutable that the original source of this teaching originated in 1994 among Coalition of Revival (COR) advocates and Jay Grimsted in particular. (See Al Dager, Vengence Is Ours: The Church in Dominion, Sword Publishers, Redmond WA, pg 235-258).
But the political prophets of the NAR have chosen to recast the COR "Seven Spheres of culture" into a first person dominical revelation directly from Jesus. Apostle Lance Wallnau and others repeat ad-nauseum the oft repeated and embellished account of Loren Cunningham and Bill Bright. As I have heard the story, Bright and Cunningham wrote on their breakfast napkins the areas of concern in the culture. Lo and behold! They had written the same seven spheres as COR and Grimstead had taught earlier.
But the political prophets have now further morphed the 7 spheres into a visionary first person prophecy from Jesus and recast the Seven Spheres as Seven Mountains. Among those who accept current prophetic statements, the 7 mountains teaching now is just simply as true as the biblical story of Jesus feeding of the 5000. This highlights the indispensable nature of continuing prophetic false prophesies given to the Kingdom church, even though their prophets only claim a certain percentage of factual prophesies. For biblical Christians who hold to the "scripture only" teaching of the Reformation, with which the Reformers dispensed with extra-biblical revelations, we have trouble with a visionary appearance of Jesus among 7 mountains that appears out of a sea. The fact that this emanates from one Kim Clement arguably the most inaccurate of all the new prophets should give any serious bible reader extreme caution. But for those in the Seven Mountains Kingdom Church, they have all the false authority they will ever need.[2]
So-Called American Covenantal Roots
Cindy Jacobs, who claimed her room was invaded by the seraphim and who is C. Peter Wagner's designate for America's prophetic destiny, called for and completed a "Root 52 National Prayer Strategy," a 52-week tour of the USA to bring each state back into covenantal alignment with God going from state to state in the sequence they joined the union. By "releasing" the prophetic destiny of an American Covenant she purported to bring the USA state by state back into covenantal status with God.
All of this is far-fetched. Indeed America has been blessed but just what is this assumed Covenant that the USA has with God? It can hardly be in the Constitution for God isn't even mentioned in it. Mike Huckabee stated on January 14, 2008 in Warren Michigan:
“I believe it is a lot easier to change the Constitution than it is to change the Word of the Living God. And that’s what we need to do, is to amend the Constitution so it’s in God’s standards, rather than try to change God’s standards so it lines up with some contemporary view of how we treat each other, and how we treat the family.” [emphasis added]
In other national founding documents the term God is not defined and the name of Jesus isn't mentioned. Furthermore the chief architect of the Constitution, Thomas Jefferson, was hardly a Covenant-Maker for the Biblical God:
"Thomas Jefferson for example, the man who contributed more to the framing of our constitution than anyone else was a Deist and hardly a model of moral rectitude. Accounts of his philandering and marital infidelity are well documented. And the so- called 'Jefferson Bible,'... was actually what he had cut up with a pair of scissors to remove all references to such things as the shedding of blood for remission of sins. He wanted nothing to do with the cross, and by the time he had finished with his 'bible', all that remained was a collection of platitudes he could use to add an apparent 'godly' air to his political postulations. Ben Franklin was a Rosicrucian who had no interest whatsoever in the truth as it has been revealed in and through Jesus Christ." (Zens and Bjork, Searching Together, Vol. 25)
Most of the founding fathers were Freemasons and Deists. Check it out. By the way, Deists taught a radical transcendent God who wound up the universe like a clock and has now disappeared forever. Furthermore, no Americans nor any other political institution could never on their own initiative establish a national covenant with God. No nation of its own accord dare claim a covenant with God. Indeed, God choose to enter a covenant with only one nation and that was Israel. The Puritans signed a Mayflower Compact but it related back to the king of England. God's covenant with Israel originated from God's sovereign will. Jehovah not only created this Covenant but He authored it Himself! That Covenant was succeeded by a New Covenant. It's author was, not this time by God through Moses, but by the Eternal Son of God in human flesh (Heb. 12:24: "And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling...."). The God-Man through His death on the cross established a New Covenant -- not with a national entity but with all who would believe from all the nations.
It is pure fantasy when the NAR prophets declare that American has covenantal roots with God. Jon Zens and Cliff Bjork wrote:
"It is a serious perversion of biblical truth to use the promise of God's blessing as some kind of carrot to dangle in front of unregenerate sinners to entice them to follow OT moral codes. It is a promise that cannot be realized.... We have seen intense governmental lobbying and a flood of books, magazines, newsletters, videos and tapes calling for a return to traditional values. Leading proponents have invaded the media and drawn large crowds.... But the moral condition of our society has not improved. It has grown worse [and will grow even worse according to scripture]. To live and advance the Christian faith is indeed to engage in a great battle. But the frontlines to which we have been called are not the halls of congress, our nation's courts, or the muddy trenches of public opinion. The NT is quite clear that 'our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against powers of this dark world and against spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms (Eph. 6:12). It is the ramparts of spiritual bondage surrounding the individual sinner's heart and mind that we must scale with the message of forgiveness and eternal life in Jesus Christ. The Gospel was never intended as a battering ram to penetrate the embattlements of a fallen nation's political and cultural mores. [Jesus came to a Jewish nation clamoring for a political warrior Messiah to drive out the Romans and reestablish their OT covenantal kingdom reigning from Jerusalem. Jesus was dragged before a Roman court at the demand of OT Jewish dominionists.]
Why did the son of God submit so willingly to such injustice and ignominy? It is clear that he had the power to save himself... When He was arrested and Peter drew his sword to resist, Jesus rebuked Peter and said 'Put your sword away!... Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels.' (John 18:11).... Would this not have been an ideal time to launch a vigorous protest?... Jesus submitted to an ignominious kangaroo court not because of the ropes and chain that bound him.... Jesus understood that his real battle was not with Caiaphas or Pilate.... Jewish or Roman courts were not the front lines of Jesus battle. The Fathers appointed battlefield was the blood-stained cross of Golgotha. As far as reclaiming human kingdoms is concerned, Jesus answered the charge that he was leading a revolt against Rome explaining to Pilate - even in the face of certain death - 'My kingdom is not of this world. if it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews (the Judeo part of Judeo/Christian). But my kingdom is not from this place. [enteuthen] John 18:36.... Nearly 2000 years have gone by since Jesus victory at Calvary over sin and death. While that particular battle was His to fight alone, it defined the nature of our warfare and established the ground rules for victory that have not changed... the secret is to carry the battle to the right place. The enemy is not entrenched in political Washington, but in the hearts of anyone anywhere who still remains in the darkness of unbelief, enslaved by all kind of pleasures. You need not go further than your backyard fences or the local marketplace to find the frontlines of that battle. It can be fought in the halls of congress, not by lobbying for some political agenda, but by telling unbelieving senators and representatives about the saving grace of God through Jesus Christ. Better that a single legislator's mind and heart be turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God than for dozens to sign on to some new "moral" legislation and remain in unbelief. For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds (2 Cor10:3-4). That should be quite clear when you consider Paul's experiences at Corinth. Here was a city, a culture and a government that was 'morally bankrupt' beyond anything we can imagine in America." (John Zens and Cliff Bjork, Searching Together, Spring-Autumn 2000 and Spring 1997)
The So-called Kingdom Church
Though eschatology has many details, the teaching of the New Testament is clear enough for all. The Lord Jesus Christ Himself takes physical dominion of the earth when He as King comes back in His second advent. He, not the church, will dispense judgment when He arrives. The words of Paul in his second letter to the Thessalonians bears this out. The Thessalonians were undergoing affliction and persecution for the sake of the Kingdom of God. But Paul assures them they are deemed worthy for the Kingdom of God. In 2 Thess 1: 7-8, we read:
"And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:"
The Risky Future of Dominion Apostles and Prophets
The current bevy of apostles and prophets conveniently avoid the first person words of Jesus "my kingdom is not of this world" (John 18:36). In addition Jesus told his disciples: "But I say unto you. I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until the day when I drink it new with you in my Father's Kingdom." (Matt 26:29).
What is there about these sayings of Jesus nearly 2000 years ago that is so hard to understand? Those mobilizing for dominion and rule appear to be in rebellion against the king himself and the teaching of the biblical apostles.
I have no hope that the NAR and its false apostles and prophets will abandon their efforts and organization of a Kingdom Dominion Church. They will never cease their efforts and politicians will never cease to exploit them for votes, especially when evangelicals make up the bulk a national party. No! they all have gone too far. They have too many self generated prophetic words, and their self deluded paradigm to cease this effort. In their minds they would have to abandon the Lord altogether.
We must choose. Do we go with these false prophecies of dominion or do we stand with those whose feet are both in biblical truth? The new apostles and prophets must run their course till perhaps even the King returns to earth. Indeed, Jesus could have called legions of angels to take him from the cross. But The sovereign Lord had a plan. It was for Salvation. God has a right to His own plan and it is clearly recorded in Scripture. Indeed! Jesus could have led a political rebellion after his resurrection and judged the nations and established His eternal rule then and there. But Scripture leaves no doubt this was not His plan. There is a first advent and a second advent. As He suffered in his first advent, His church must suffer with him till this evil age runs its course -- until it is stopped and dramatically interrupted by the visible return of the risen King from Glory. Then the Lord Jesus Christ will establish His Kingdom by His presence on earth and Judge the nations. Then His true people will enter with Him into THE AGE TO COME. Even so come quickly Lord Jesus!
A Concluding Remark
Please don't misunderstand me. Should we not vote? Should we not share our views with others about the moral decline of the nation, etc? Of course we should vote! This is a precious privilege given to us in this country and many other countries. But we must avoid becoming political activists and political warriors who are determined to put away evil and evil doers by a so-called "kingdom authority" before Jesus returns. Judgment is God's prerogative and it is divinely planned for the second advent of Christ. Our calling now is to persistently preach and witness the Gospel of Grace by every means.
Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. (Romans 12:19)
By Dr. Orrel Steinkamp
"How far into compromise will pastors go to “re-establish” America as a Christian nation? Has that become more important to them than serving the Lord and preaching the unadulterated Gospel of Jesus Christ WITHOUT COMPROMISE? If establishing the lie this kingdom of God on earth is so important that the Gospel fades in comparison, what are they willing to do next. . . ?"[1]
On April 12-13 there is scheduled "The Government Transformation Summit for Visionary Leaders" in San Antonio. It is also called "Justice at the Gate." Before we proceed with our comments we must establish that the term "transform or transformation" as used in Dominion writings is simply a code word for Dominion or Rule. The introduction to this conference begins:
"God's heart is to transform [read rule, ed.] the nations not just individuals.... You are not getting this invitation if your vision is simply to grow your congregation [read traditional evangelism, ed.]. We applaud and affirm that, but this personal invitation is extended exclusively to proven leaders who have a heart for their city, state or broader."
Some of the leading speakers introduced to us are: Ed Silvoso, considered by many as the father of the Nation Transforming Movement, and Jim Garlow, pastor of Skyline Church in San Diego, the one tapped by Newt Gingrich be the Chairman of Gingrich's Renewing American Leadership committed to freedom, faith and free markets. The introduction continues:
"Expand your vision to a movement [notice not the church, ed.] forging an intersection of worship, reconciliation [the new meaning of the term, ed.] Governance Systems and Nation-Changing transformation [notice the bringing together of transformation and Dominionism, ed.]."
The Dominionists are now hitting the political big-time. There was a conference scheduled at Liberty University on April 8-9 sponsored by Freedom Federation called Awakening 2011. Broadcast on C-Span for the first time, it included 60 nationally known political operatives and many Dominionist personalities. The politicos included: Newt Gingrich, Rep. Mike Spence, Gary Bauer, Frank Gaffney, Marco Rubio and Michele Bachmann. The Domionist Clergy included Rick Joyner, Lou Engle, Cindy Jacobs and David Barton.
Then, just recently on March 25-26, the Iowa Renewal Project "Rediscovering God in America" was held. This political event included pure politicians and Dominionist/Tea Party clergy. Included were George Barna, evangelical pollster and Jesuit trained. Barna in his 2009 book Master Leaders: Revealing Conversations with 30 Leadership Greats extolled as leadership greats New Age sympathizers Ken Blanchard, Laurie Beth Jones, Newt Gingrich and emergent futurist Erwin McManus. We can only assume that Barna resonates with their teachings. Also a speaker was Mike Huckabee Southern Baptist presidential candidate anointed by apostle Lou Engle's apostolic hands. Also a speaker was well known politico Newt Gingrich, a presidential candidate and a lapsed Baptist and recent Catholic convert and serial adulterer. Other speakers included Minnesota's own Michele Bachmann, the Oral Roberts trained Word/Faith Congresswomen. Mike Huckabee has previously accepted an endorsement by and spoken at a "Watchmen on the Walls" convention. Watchmen on the Walls is a Joel's Army radical Dominionist group active in Ex-USSR countries but with a major presence among Russian and Slavic emigrants.
I have in the last year written about the convergence of the New Apostolic Reformation and the Christian Right. Some articles on the net include: "The Coalescing of the Christian Right with Apostolic Dominionism," "R&R Revival and Revolt: The Tea Party's Strange Bedfellows and What They Believe," and "Mary Glazier: Wagner’s NAR Chief Prophetess In Alaska." Some months have passed and now these political apostles no longer feel any need to hide their political intentions and associations.
Roger Oakland, former Calvary Chapel lecturer, writing about the Iowa Renewal Project, can only exclaim:
"Are you familiar with these names: David Barton, Newt Gingrich, George Barna, Mike Huckabee? Do you know what Barna Group is? Do you know who David Barton is? What about Newt Gingrich? Do you know what role they are playing? WHAT IS GOING ON?
"If you look at the list of speakers for the Rediscovering God in America, it reminds me of a book I once read called Who's Who and What's What? Check out Barna and Barton and see for yourself their backgrounds and the things they are doing, then check out the Jesuit plan to establish the kingdom. Newt Gingrich is a Roman Catholic by his own admission, and he and Huckabee may each be running for President (or maybe a ticket together). George Barna was trained at a Jesuit college. And let’s not forget Rick Warren’s Purpose Driven Catholicism and Catholic convert, interfaith activist Tony Blair?"
Perhaps one reason Roger Oakland was concerned about this "secretive" event is that the two clergy at this Iowa political conference were Calvary Chapel pastors, namely, Jack Hibbs Calvary Chapel pastor in Chino Hills, CA and Ken Graves Calvary Chapel pastor in Orrington, ME.
"Rediscovering God in America"?
Those promoting God's absolute rule upon the earth have become bedfellows with national politicians and are calling for the Kingdom of God to be politically instituted first in America and then around the world. This is a convergence that goes well beyond elections cycles. It is a union of national politicians and clergy who share not only political views but also share a vision for a Christian political domination for the whole world, in order to bring back Jesus to the earth. They no longer wait for a King from heaven but are straining to establish a political kingdom of God upon the earth before The King can return. Their goals are like hidden leaven within American politics, disguising their real agenda from unsuspecting voters.
Rachael Tabachnick, in her report, "The Rise of Charismatic Dominionism," explained:
"These Christian warriors would no longer be constrained by having to wait for a future Rapture. The battle against evil to bring about the millennial utopia would not wait for divine intervention, but be initiated by human hands - an army of Christian warriors bringing about the Kingdom, now."
This is a major shift. Twenty-five years ago Pentecostals and evangelicals were all awaiting the Rapture. Now many, if not most, are on board looking to gain control of society and government, postponing the Rapture till the earth is one huge Christian caliphate. Tabachnick observed, "A newer and potent movement has emerged like a phoenix from the ashes of Darby's Dispensationalism."
This hybrid eschatology, a heresy, is described by Earl Paulk, in his Handwriting on the Wall (p. 20), as:
"Jesus Christ has now done all He can do, and He waits at the right hand of the His Father, until you and I as sons of God become manifest and make this world His footstool. He is waiting for us to say, 'Jesus, we have made the kingdoms of this world the Kingdom of our God, and are ruling and reigning in your world." [emphasis added]
There are thousands of Christians converted to Dominionism who already are found on school boards, city officials, state legislators and Tea Party elected officials. They are already in place and they take their cues from the Dominionist/Political leaders, and they are totally convinced they are in the exciting struggle to bring total Christian Dominion to the earth. Christian Dominionists have become the Christian Right on steroids. They are found in one party but they are also political squatters who ultimately will have no allegiance to any party whatsoever.
But it amazes me most that these dominion advocates can actually suggest that God, the August All-Powerful Sovereign of the Universe, would need to sneak back into a so-called regained dominion of all the earth on the coattails of political operatives! Isn't this demeaning to pronounce that our Sovereign God needs political endorsement and financial gifts from the world's Uber-Rich? Isn't God capable to openly placard to the world his own Dominionist aims (if indeed that were His will before He returns)? Isn't God sufficiently omnipotent to take dominion in His own name and authority -- without being beholden to common variety politicians and clerical camp-followers?
The self-anointed false apostles and prophets of the NAR (C. Peter Wagner's New Apostolic Reformation) make stupendous claims for wielding God's power even to the extreme of calling down from heaven ginned-up signs and wonders. Cindy Jacobs tells a story of the seraphim catching her hotel room on fire, etc. Why then do she and her co-apostles and prophets have to work cap-in-hand as mere political operatives?
If this political Dominionism should succeed do you think the God of creation would be happy to be an in-house vice regent with Newt or LDS Romney along the lines of the secret astrologer who advised Nancy Reagan on the safety of the president's foreign trips? How does this political dominionism construct compare to the biblical Jehovah Who chose to establish His rule by directly confronting the Egyptian Pharaoh?
D. James Kennedy, sometimes called by some the god-father of Dominionism, expressed his views openly. In 2005 He hosted at his church in Coral Gables a conference called, "Reclaiming America for Christ." He provided for the conferees some of his written materials. One such written source stated:
"We are to exercise godly dominion over our neighborhoods, our government , our entertainment, media our scientific endeavors, in short over every aspect and institutions of human society."
George Grant, who was for a time an associate pastor at Kennedy's church in Coral Gables expressed the dominion mandate ever more bluntly than Kennedy:
"Christians have an obligation, a mandate, a commission, a holy responsibility to reclaim the land for Jesus Christ - to have dominion in civil structures, just as in every other aspect of life and godliness. But it is dominion that we are after. Not just a voice. It is dominion we are after. Not just influence, it is dominion we are after. Not just equal time. It is dominion we are after. World conquest is that which Christ has commissioned us to accomplish. We must win the world with the power of the Gospel. And we must never settle for anything less. Christian politics has as its primary intent the conquest of the land of men, families, institutions, bureaucracies, courts and governments for the Kingdom of Christ." (George Grant, The Changing of the Guard: Biblical Principles for Political Action [Ft. Worth: Dominion Press, 1987], pp. 50-51)
The so-called Dominion Mandate is a fraudulent interpretation of Genesis 1:28 and the Great Commission. Note that the Genesis mandate was simply a stewardship responsibility over the land and sea and the animal species. This verse hardly refers to political institutions and other humans. In the Great Commission we are called to preach the Gospel and baptize the nations. But this can't have political dominion ramifications for how do you baptize whole nations? The only precedent that comes to my mind may be early Roman Catholic missionaries to China who declared the state evangelized and employed mass broom baptisms by dipping a broom in a pail and sprinkling the populace. Now China is hearing the Gospel, but it spreads not by state broom baptizing but from individual to individual. Furthermore, the Greek word ethne ("nations" in the Great Commission) does not refer to whole nations but it was a Jewish term for non-Jews, that is, Gentiles. The Gentile Church is evangelism by sharing the Gospel, person by person, and not by state sponsored Christian dominion.
How the Seven Spheres Became the Seven Mountains
It is not my purpose here to elaborate on the 7 mountains teaching. It has received sufficient coverage. But it is helpful to reflect on the history of this teaching in dominion circles. It is irrefutable that the original source of this teaching originated in 1994 among Coalition of Revival (COR) advocates and Jay Grimsted in particular. (See Al Dager, Vengence Is Ours: The Church in Dominion, Sword Publishers, Redmond WA, pg 235-258).
But the political prophets of the NAR have chosen to recast the COR "Seven Spheres of culture" into a first person dominical revelation directly from Jesus. Apostle Lance Wallnau and others repeat ad-nauseum the oft repeated and embellished account of Loren Cunningham and Bill Bright. As I have heard the story, Bright and Cunningham wrote on their breakfast napkins the areas of concern in the culture. Lo and behold! They had written the same seven spheres as COR and Grimstead had taught earlier.
But the political prophets have now further morphed the 7 spheres into a visionary first person prophecy from Jesus and recast the Seven Spheres as Seven Mountains. Among those who accept current prophetic statements, the 7 mountains teaching now is just simply as true as the biblical story of Jesus feeding of the 5000. This highlights the indispensable nature of continuing prophetic false prophesies given to the Kingdom church, even though their prophets only claim a certain percentage of factual prophesies. For biblical Christians who hold to the "scripture only" teaching of the Reformation, with which the Reformers dispensed with extra-biblical revelations, we have trouble with a visionary appearance of Jesus among 7 mountains that appears out of a sea. The fact that this emanates from one Kim Clement arguably the most inaccurate of all the new prophets should give any serious bible reader extreme caution. But for those in the Seven Mountains Kingdom Church, they have all the false authority they will ever need.[2]
So-Called American Covenantal Roots
Cindy Jacobs, who claimed her room was invaded by the seraphim and who is C. Peter Wagner's designate for America's prophetic destiny, called for and completed a "Root 52 National Prayer Strategy," a 52-week tour of the USA to bring each state back into covenantal alignment with God going from state to state in the sequence they joined the union. By "releasing" the prophetic destiny of an American Covenant she purported to bring the USA state by state back into covenantal status with God.
All of this is far-fetched. Indeed America has been blessed but just what is this assumed Covenant that the USA has with God? It can hardly be in the Constitution for God isn't even mentioned in it. Mike Huckabee stated on January 14, 2008 in Warren Michigan:
“I believe it is a lot easier to change the Constitution than it is to change the Word of the Living God. And that’s what we need to do, is to amend the Constitution so it’s in God’s standards, rather than try to change God’s standards so it lines up with some contemporary view of how we treat each other, and how we treat the family.” [emphasis added]
In other national founding documents the term God is not defined and the name of Jesus isn't mentioned. Furthermore the chief architect of the Constitution, Thomas Jefferson, was hardly a Covenant-Maker for the Biblical God:
"Thomas Jefferson for example, the man who contributed more to the framing of our constitution than anyone else was a Deist and hardly a model of moral rectitude. Accounts of his philandering and marital infidelity are well documented. And the so- called 'Jefferson Bible,'... was actually what he had cut up with a pair of scissors to remove all references to such things as the shedding of blood for remission of sins. He wanted nothing to do with the cross, and by the time he had finished with his 'bible', all that remained was a collection of platitudes he could use to add an apparent 'godly' air to his political postulations. Ben Franklin was a Rosicrucian who had no interest whatsoever in the truth as it has been revealed in and through Jesus Christ." (Zens and Bjork, Searching Together, Vol. 25)
Most of the founding fathers were Freemasons and Deists. Check it out. By the way, Deists taught a radical transcendent God who wound up the universe like a clock and has now disappeared forever. Furthermore, no Americans nor any other political institution could never on their own initiative establish a national covenant with God. No nation of its own accord dare claim a covenant with God. Indeed, God choose to enter a covenant with only one nation and that was Israel. The Puritans signed a Mayflower Compact but it related back to the king of England. God's covenant with Israel originated from God's sovereign will. Jehovah not only created this Covenant but He authored it Himself! That Covenant was succeeded by a New Covenant. It's author was, not this time by God through Moses, but by the Eternal Son of God in human flesh (Heb. 12:24: "And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling...."). The God-Man through His death on the cross established a New Covenant -- not with a national entity but with all who would believe from all the nations.
It is pure fantasy when the NAR prophets declare that American has covenantal roots with God. Jon Zens and Cliff Bjork wrote:
"It is a serious perversion of biblical truth to use the promise of God's blessing as some kind of carrot to dangle in front of unregenerate sinners to entice them to follow OT moral codes. It is a promise that cannot be realized.... We have seen intense governmental lobbying and a flood of books, magazines, newsletters, videos and tapes calling for a return to traditional values. Leading proponents have invaded the media and drawn large crowds.... But the moral condition of our society has not improved. It has grown worse [and will grow even worse according to scripture]. To live and advance the Christian faith is indeed to engage in a great battle. But the frontlines to which we have been called are not the halls of congress, our nation's courts, or the muddy trenches of public opinion. The NT is quite clear that 'our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against powers of this dark world and against spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms (Eph. 6:12). It is the ramparts of spiritual bondage surrounding the individual sinner's heart and mind that we must scale with the message of forgiveness and eternal life in Jesus Christ. The Gospel was never intended as a battering ram to penetrate the embattlements of a fallen nation's political and cultural mores. [Jesus came to a Jewish nation clamoring for a political warrior Messiah to drive out the Romans and reestablish their OT covenantal kingdom reigning from Jerusalem. Jesus was dragged before a Roman court at the demand of OT Jewish dominionists.]
Why did the son of God submit so willingly to such injustice and ignominy? It is clear that he had the power to save himself... When He was arrested and Peter drew his sword to resist, Jesus rebuked Peter and said 'Put your sword away!... Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels.' (John 18:11).... Would this not have been an ideal time to launch a vigorous protest?... Jesus submitted to an ignominious kangaroo court not because of the ropes and chain that bound him.... Jesus understood that his real battle was not with Caiaphas or Pilate.... Jewish or Roman courts were not the front lines of Jesus battle. The Fathers appointed battlefield was the blood-stained cross of Golgotha. As far as reclaiming human kingdoms is concerned, Jesus answered the charge that he was leading a revolt against Rome explaining to Pilate - even in the face of certain death - 'My kingdom is not of this world. if it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews (the Judeo part of Judeo/Christian). But my kingdom is not from this place. [enteuthen] John 18:36.... Nearly 2000 years have gone by since Jesus victory at Calvary over sin and death. While that particular battle was His to fight alone, it defined the nature of our warfare and established the ground rules for victory that have not changed... the secret is to carry the battle to the right place. The enemy is not entrenched in political Washington, but in the hearts of anyone anywhere who still remains in the darkness of unbelief, enslaved by all kind of pleasures. You need not go further than your backyard fences or the local marketplace to find the frontlines of that battle. It can be fought in the halls of congress, not by lobbying for some political agenda, but by telling unbelieving senators and representatives about the saving grace of God through Jesus Christ. Better that a single legislator's mind and heart be turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God than for dozens to sign on to some new "moral" legislation and remain in unbelief. For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds (2 Cor10:3-4). That should be quite clear when you consider Paul's experiences at Corinth. Here was a city, a culture and a government that was 'morally bankrupt' beyond anything we can imagine in America." (John Zens and Cliff Bjork, Searching Together, Spring-Autumn 2000 and Spring 1997)
The So-called Kingdom Church
Though eschatology has many details, the teaching of the New Testament is clear enough for all. The Lord Jesus Christ Himself takes physical dominion of the earth when He as King comes back in His second advent. He, not the church, will dispense judgment when He arrives. The words of Paul in his second letter to the Thessalonians bears this out. The Thessalonians were undergoing affliction and persecution for the sake of the Kingdom of God. But Paul assures them they are deemed worthy for the Kingdom of God. In 2 Thess 1: 7-8, we read:
"And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:"
The Risky Future of Dominion Apostles and Prophets
The current bevy of apostles and prophets conveniently avoid the first person words of Jesus "my kingdom is not of this world" (John 18:36). In addition Jesus told his disciples: "But I say unto you. I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until the day when I drink it new with you in my Father's Kingdom." (Matt 26:29).
What is there about these sayings of Jesus nearly 2000 years ago that is so hard to understand? Those mobilizing for dominion and rule appear to be in rebellion against the king himself and the teaching of the biblical apostles.
I have no hope that the NAR and its false apostles and prophets will abandon their efforts and organization of a Kingdom Dominion Church. They will never cease their efforts and politicians will never cease to exploit them for votes, especially when evangelicals make up the bulk a national party. No! they all have gone too far. They have too many self generated prophetic words, and their self deluded paradigm to cease this effort. In their minds they would have to abandon the Lord altogether.
We must choose. Do we go with these false prophecies of dominion or do we stand with those whose feet are both in biblical truth? The new apostles and prophets must run their course till perhaps even the King returns to earth. Indeed, Jesus could have called legions of angels to take him from the cross. But The sovereign Lord had a plan. It was for Salvation. God has a right to His own plan and it is clearly recorded in Scripture. Indeed! Jesus could have led a political rebellion after his resurrection and judged the nations and established His eternal rule then and there. But Scripture leaves no doubt this was not His plan. There is a first advent and a second advent. As He suffered in his first advent, His church must suffer with him till this evil age runs its course -- until it is stopped and dramatically interrupted by the visible return of the risen King from Glory. Then the Lord Jesus Christ will establish His Kingdom by His presence on earth and Judge the nations. Then His true people will enter with Him into THE AGE TO COME. Even so come quickly Lord Jesus!
A Concluding Remark
Please don't misunderstand me. Should we not vote? Should we not share our views with others about the moral decline of the nation, etc? Of course we should vote! This is a precious privilege given to us in this country and many other countries. But we must avoid becoming political activists and political warriors who are determined to put away evil and evil doers by a so-called "kingdom authority" before Jesus returns. Judgment is God's prerogative and it is divinely planned for the second advent of Christ. Our calling now is to persistently preach and witness the Gospel of Grace by every means.
Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. (Romans 12:19)
January 3, 2011
Apostasy in the Church - A Brief Synospis
This is Part 1 of a 3 part series on how apostasy has entered the Church in the last 1,000 years or so - Part 2 and 3 will follow...
The Temporal Delusion (Part 1)
September 2010
by T.A. McMahon
If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. (Colossians 3:1-4)
I'm fascinated by timelines. They give me an idea of what events took place in history, how they relate timewise to other historical events, and whether or not former events may have influenced later ones. I especially like biblical timelines. They often begin with the event of creation and end with the future Millennial reign of Jesus Christ from Jerusalem, supplying a host of details in between. Due to their temporal nature, however, they can only hint at eternity, which is infinite, and for which our life on earth is only a preparation.
The "timeline" presented on the cover of this newsletter is a simple attempt to symbolically remind believers that spending eternity with Jesus is our raison d'être, i.e., it is the reason for our existence.
Why am I making an issue of this? Because the world and, sadly, much of the church are caught up in a temporal delusion: clinging to this earth rather than hoping for heaven. It's part of Satan's strategy to deceive the world into building his kingdom. For thousands of years, he has seduced both professing and true Christians into joining his labor force, with the goal of establishing his own religion, which will be headed by his puppet ruler, the Antichrist. As the intensity of his program increases in these last days, particularly in Christendom, the leaven of this apostasy has been deposited in all theological camps: charismatics, Calvinists, conservatives, liberals, Pentecostals, Baptists, left-leaning Christians, supporters of the Emerging Church Movement, promoters of the "social gospel," et al.
In its simplest form, it is an attitude of disdaining what Paul admonishes us to do in Colossians 3:2: "Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth." Although even those who truly know and love Jesus may struggle sometimes with keeping their affections on Him, there are others who profess Christ and claim to follow His Word yet who continue in their attempts to set up His kingdom here on earth prior to His return. That unbiblical objective, sometimes referred to as Dominion Theology and Kingdom-Dominionism, has taken many forms throughout church history.
One early example was the Holy Roman Empire. The idea was that "godly" (i.e., in support of the papacy) emperors would bring the world into the fold of Christ. When that wasn't successful, the papacy took control, ruling over most of the world at that time. As one historian describes it: "[The Church of Rome governed the medieval world and] had all the apparatus of the state: laws and law courts, taxes and tax-collectors, a great administrative machine, power of life and death over the citizens of Christendom and their enemies within and without....Popes claimed the sole right of initiating and directing wars against unbelievers. They raised armies, conducted campaigns, and made treaties of peace in defense of their territorial interests."1 Like most of the dogmas and practices of the Roman Catholic Church, this was contrary to what Jesus taught: "My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight...but now is my kingdom not from hence."
Amillennialism was the theological belief of the age, which posited that the Millennial, or 1,000-year, reign of Christ was already taking place, albeit spiritually. The worldly successes of the Roman Catholic Church seemed to support this view, but before long it succumbed to its own excesses and corruption. Although the Reformation was a reaction against the abuses of Catholicism, the Reformers kept the Catholic amillennial eschatology, along with many of its teachings and practices such as infant baptism and replacement theology (the belief that the church has replaced Israel). Verses from Scripture that spoke of blessings for Israel were spiritualized to denote the church; verses regarding Israel's punishment were ignored.
John Calvin attempted to make the city of Geneva a model of the kingdom of God, and, for his controlling effort, earned the title "the Protestant Pope." Although his goal was admirable, the results of his implementation were little different from what he had objected to in the Roman Catholic Church. Historian Will Durant writes, "The new clergy...became under Calvin more powerful than any priesthood since Israel. The real law of a Christian state, said Calvin, must be the Bible, the clergy are the interpreters of that law, civil governments are subject to that law, and must enforce it as so interpreted."2
Another historian writes, "In a class by themselves stood crimes against Calvin. It was a crime to laugh at Calvin's sermons, it was a crime to argue with Calvin on the street. But to enter into a theological controversy with Calvin might turn out to be a very grave crime."3 Geneva was hardly heaven on earth, though that was the intent. For example, "an overabundance of dishes at the table, a too-elevated headdress, an excessive display of lace, a proscribed color in dress--all were fair subjects of debate and punishment,"4 and one never knew when the consistory (the church police) would make a house call. One year saw 400 citizens indicted for moral offenses, and, in 60 years, 150 people accused of heresy were burned at the stake.
Calvin's Christianized society was simply not biblical, substituting law for grace. Not only that, it was inconsistent with Calvinist theology. How was one to "Christianize" those in Geneva who were not among God's elect? Characterized as "totally depraved" and not able to respond righteously because they were not extended "irresistible grace," the "non-elect" could never be the Christian citizens that Calvin demanded.
Kingdom-Dominionism took on a new form in the 1940s in Saskatchewan, Canada. An alleged spiritual revival broke out that spawned the "Manifest Sons of God," or, more commonly, the Latter Rain Movement. The eschatology of this movement shifted from the dispensational view, which is the Rapture of the church followed by seven years of tribulation and ending with Armageddon. The movement promoted a more "positive," even triumphant, scenario, looking for God to pour out His Spirit in a great worldwide revival, which would produce "Manifest Sons of God," a.k.a. Joel's Army. These would be believers, continually filled with the Spirit, who would manifest the same signs and wonders that Jesus did and would judge and conquer the world as they ushered in the 1,000-year reign of Christ.
One of the leaders of the movement has said: "God's people are going to start to exercise rule, and they're going to take dominion over the Power of Satan....As the rod of [God's] strength goes out of Zion, He'll change legislation. He'll chase the devil off the face of God's earth, and God's people...will bring about God's purposes and God's reign."5 This movement, however, ran into the same problems that plagued Calvin in Geneva. The so-called Manifest Sons of God couldn't live up to godly moral standards in practice, even though strict (read "abusive") measures, known as "shepherding," were applied.
The dominionism of the Latter Rain Movement spread far and wide among Pentecostals and Charismatics. Here are some quotes from men whose names you may recognize:
Yes, sin, sickness and disease, spiritual death, poverty, and everything else that's of the devil once ruled us. But now, bless God, we rule them--for this is the Day of Dominion! (the late Kenneth Hagin)
Those in [Joel's] army will have the kind of anointing...[Christ's] kind of power...anyone who wants to harm them must die. (the late John Wimber)
The manifestation of the Sons of God [are] the "overcomers" who will become perfected and step into immortality in order to establish the Kingdom of God on earth. (George Warnock)
The movement was further promoted by the late Bishop Earl Paulk, who taught that Christ was "held in heaven" until His Body, the church, purified itself and the world. Paulk, however, had problems purifying himself, having had a long history of sexual immoralities and was later convicted of perjury. In the 1980s, under Paulk's leadership, charismatic Kingdom Theology joined forces with Calvinistic Dominionist Theology, also known as Christian Reconstructionism, or Theonomy.
Christian Reconstructionism was popularized by Rousas Rushdoony and his son-in-law, Gary North. Reconstructionists believe that by applying the laws of the Old Testament and the principles of the New Testament, the world will be morally transformed by Christians. This, they claimed, would draw people to Christ. Their eschatology is postmillennial, which means that they expect Christ to return after 1,000 years (viewed by some as a symbolic number, meaning that it could be much longer) of successfully reaping the fruit produced by applying the law.
From the 1980s through the turn of the century, a Reconstructionist group called the Coalition On Revival, or COR, greatly influenced conservative evangelicals to seek to transform the U.S. into a Christian-run nation by using the political process. Although the Reconstructionists and the charismatic Kingdom-Now proponents were far apart theologically, the dominionist beliefs that are basic to both camps drew them together. Gary North noted that this surprising liaison made sense in another way: "...bringing together the postmillennial Christian reconstructionists and the 'positive confession' charismatics, with the former providing the footnotes, theology, and political action skills, and the latter providing the money, the audience, and the satellite technology [e.g., TBN and Christian Broadcasting Network]."6
A number of years ago, a friend of mine sat in on a meeting of Reconstructionists and asked if they truly intended to apply the biblical laws such as stoning and other capital punishments, to which a national leader of the movement replied, "Absolutely!" It seems that the Calvinist Reconstructionists learned little from the failure of Calvin's totalitarian experiment in Geneva.
The Kingdom-Dominionist movement continues, especially among charismatics, to our present day. Jack Hayford, George Otis Jr., and C. Peter Wagner promoted a form of Kingdom Theology that involved taking back the dominion that Adam and Eve lost in the Garden of Eden. One of the movement's leaders explains, "Jesus gave us His authority and...we are supposed to reclaim, restore, organize, and rule over the earth--not only in a spiritual sense, but through economical, political, educational, and social reform as well." Here is why, this same person tells us, Christians must put to use their God-ordained authority: "Jesus is held in the heavenlies until all things are restored under His feet. He will not and cannot physically return to earth until the church [has brought] a measure of God's ruling authority back to this earth."7
This form of Kingdom-Dominionism is rife with methods, rituals, and techniques to be followed in order to seize control. C. Peter Wagner's books Breaking Strongholds In Your City and Confronting the Powers contain what he calls "state-of-the-art spiritual methodologies" for taking dominion: identifying territorial spirits, prayer journeys, spiritual mapping, strategic level spiritual warfare, identificational repentance, reconciliation walking, city transformation, praise marches, redeeming the culture, taking our cities, workplaces, and schools for Christ, etc.
I personally experienced the implementation of these techniques during the heyday of Wagner's "strategic level spiritual warfare" influence when some students attempted to "take our local high school for Christ." They buried crosses on the football field and anointed the school windows with oil. Not only did they not take their school for Christ, but they almost caused every Christian student organization to be thrown off campus.
C. Peter Wagner is the chief of operations behind this, and the methods that he says God has given to him are seemingly endless. He is the one who brought John Wimber to Fuller Theological Seminary (FTS) to teach "Signs, Wonders, and Church Growth," later renamed "The Miraculous and Church Growth," which Wagner co-authored with him. Wagner was also the academic mentor who supervised Rick Warren's doctorate dissertation at FTS.
Jack Hayford spent years meeting with Lloyd Ogilvie and other local pastors at Hollywood Presbyterian Church as they applied various spiritual techniques to "transform Los Angeles for Christ." Hayford candidly admitted the failure years later: "My city's [still] being torn on the inside by gang violence and murder, polluted by homosexuality and pornography on the dark side, and suffocated with pride, self-centered snobbishness and sensuality on the 'show' side...[it's] enough to self-destruct us."8
All of these movements from church history hold this in common: they are earthbound. Focused on setting up the kingdom of God here on earth prior to or in order to expedite our Lord's return, all have a very serious problem. According to the Scriptures, the next kingdom to come on this earth is the kingdom of the Antichrist, which will last for seven years. True believers in Christ will have no part in that kingdom. They will have been removed from this planet by the Lord Jesus and taken to heaven. This event is called the Rapture (John 14:1-3; Philippians 3:20; 1 Thessalonians 5:9-11; 4:16-18; Hebrews 9:28; 1 Corinthians 15:51-52; Colossians 3:4; 1 Thessalonians 1:10; 1 John 3:2-3; Titus 2:13; 1 Timothy 6:14; Revelation 3:10; 2 Timothy 4:8, Luke 12:35,37,40), which will happen prior to the Great Tribulation period, during which time those who have followed the Antichrist will suffer God's wrath.
As Dave Hunt has noted in Whatever Happened to Heaven?: "The great seduction is to turn us from heaven to earth, from the true God to ourselves, from the denial of self to the acceptance, love, and esteem of oneself, from God's truth to Satan's lie. At the heart of this seduction are beliefs that have a deceptively spiritual appeal, but which actually turn us from loving Christ and His appearing to the earthly ambition of taking over society and remaking this world into the paradise that Adam and Eve lost" (p. 308).
Much of what has been presented here are some of the historic seeds of an earthbound dominionism that have been sown in Christianity throughout the last 1,000 years. They have taken root and are thriving in the church in this fledgling twenty-first century. In part 2 of this series, the Lord willing, we will address what is being promoted in Christendom today in an attempt to draw the Bride (true believers in Christ) away from eagerly looking for the coming of the Groom to take her to their wedding in heaven. We will question whether or not efforts within the church (the ecological movement, the ecumenical movement, social gospel endeavors, political activism, "redeeming the culture" techniques, solving the world's problems through a global P.E.A.C.E. plan, etc.) can be supported by the Word of God. TBC
Endnotes
1. R. W. Southern, Western Society and the Church in the Middle Ages (Penguin Books, Vol. 2 of Pelican History of the Church Series, 1970), 18-19, cited in Dave Hunt, Whatever Happened to Heaven?(Harvest House, 1988), 150-51.
2. Will Durant, The Reformation: A History of European Civilizations from Wyclif to Calvin: 1300-1564 (Simon & Schuster, 1957), 472-73, cited in Hunt, Heaven, 175-76.
3. Edwin Muir, John Knox: Portrait of a Calvinist (The Viking Press, 1929), 106-8, cited in Hunt, Heaven, 174-75.
4. Hunt, Heaven, 174.
5. Ern Baxter (associate of William Branham), cited in Sandy Simpson, "Dominionism Exposed," http://www.deceptioninthechurch.com/dominionismexposed.html.
6. Gary North, Christian Reconstructionism: The Attack on the "New" Pentecostal, January/February 1988, Vol. X, No. 1.
7. Dr. Kluane Spake, "Dominion Theology and Kingdom NOW," http://hubpages.com/hub/Dominion-Theology-by-Dr-Kluane-Spake.
8. Jack Hayford, cited in Dr. Peter Wagner, "Let's Take Dominion Now," http://www.intheworkplace.com/apps/articles/default.asp?articlid=22902&columnid=1935.
The Temporal Delusion (Part 1)
September 2010
by T.A. McMahon
If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. (Colossians 3:1-4)
I'm fascinated by timelines. They give me an idea of what events took place in history, how they relate timewise to other historical events, and whether or not former events may have influenced later ones. I especially like biblical timelines. They often begin with the event of creation and end with the future Millennial reign of Jesus Christ from Jerusalem, supplying a host of details in between. Due to their temporal nature, however, they can only hint at eternity, which is infinite, and for which our life on earth is only a preparation.
The "timeline" presented on the cover of this newsletter is a simple attempt to symbolically remind believers that spending eternity with Jesus is our raison d'être, i.e., it is the reason for our existence.
Why am I making an issue of this? Because the world and, sadly, much of the church are caught up in a temporal delusion: clinging to this earth rather than hoping for heaven. It's part of Satan's strategy to deceive the world into building his kingdom. For thousands of years, he has seduced both professing and true Christians into joining his labor force, with the goal of establishing his own religion, which will be headed by his puppet ruler, the Antichrist. As the intensity of his program increases in these last days, particularly in Christendom, the leaven of this apostasy has been deposited in all theological camps: charismatics, Calvinists, conservatives, liberals, Pentecostals, Baptists, left-leaning Christians, supporters of the Emerging Church Movement, promoters of the "social gospel," et al.
In its simplest form, it is an attitude of disdaining what Paul admonishes us to do in Colossians 3:2: "Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth." Although even those who truly know and love Jesus may struggle sometimes with keeping their affections on Him, there are others who profess Christ and claim to follow His Word yet who continue in their attempts to set up His kingdom here on earth prior to His return. That unbiblical objective, sometimes referred to as Dominion Theology and Kingdom-Dominionism, has taken many forms throughout church history.
One early example was the Holy Roman Empire. The idea was that "godly" (i.e., in support of the papacy) emperors would bring the world into the fold of Christ. When that wasn't successful, the papacy took control, ruling over most of the world at that time. As one historian describes it: "[The Church of Rome governed the medieval world and] had all the apparatus of the state: laws and law courts, taxes and tax-collectors, a great administrative machine, power of life and death over the citizens of Christendom and their enemies within and without....Popes claimed the sole right of initiating and directing wars against unbelievers. They raised armies, conducted campaigns, and made treaties of peace in defense of their territorial interests."1 Like most of the dogmas and practices of the Roman Catholic Church, this was contrary to what Jesus taught: "My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight...but now is my kingdom not from hence."
Amillennialism was the theological belief of the age, which posited that the Millennial, or 1,000-year, reign of Christ was already taking place, albeit spiritually. The worldly successes of the Roman Catholic Church seemed to support this view, but before long it succumbed to its own excesses and corruption. Although the Reformation was a reaction against the abuses of Catholicism, the Reformers kept the Catholic amillennial eschatology, along with many of its teachings and practices such as infant baptism and replacement theology (the belief that the church has replaced Israel). Verses from Scripture that spoke of blessings for Israel were spiritualized to denote the church; verses regarding Israel's punishment were ignored.
John Calvin attempted to make the city of Geneva a model of the kingdom of God, and, for his controlling effort, earned the title "the Protestant Pope." Although his goal was admirable, the results of his implementation were little different from what he had objected to in the Roman Catholic Church. Historian Will Durant writes, "The new clergy...became under Calvin more powerful than any priesthood since Israel. The real law of a Christian state, said Calvin, must be the Bible, the clergy are the interpreters of that law, civil governments are subject to that law, and must enforce it as so interpreted."2
Another historian writes, "In a class by themselves stood crimes against Calvin. It was a crime to laugh at Calvin's sermons, it was a crime to argue with Calvin on the street. But to enter into a theological controversy with Calvin might turn out to be a very grave crime."3 Geneva was hardly heaven on earth, though that was the intent. For example, "an overabundance of dishes at the table, a too-elevated headdress, an excessive display of lace, a proscribed color in dress--all were fair subjects of debate and punishment,"4 and one never knew when the consistory (the church police) would make a house call. One year saw 400 citizens indicted for moral offenses, and, in 60 years, 150 people accused of heresy were burned at the stake.
Calvin's Christianized society was simply not biblical, substituting law for grace. Not only that, it was inconsistent with Calvinist theology. How was one to "Christianize" those in Geneva who were not among God's elect? Characterized as "totally depraved" and not able to respond righteously because they were not extended "irresistible grace," the "non-elect" could never be the Christian citizens that Calvin demanded.
Kingdom-Dominionism took on a new form in the 1940s in Saskatchewan, Canada. An alleged spiritual revival broke out that spawned the "Manifest Sons of God," or, more commonly, the Latter Rain Movement. The eschatology of this movement shifted from the dispensational view, which is the Rapture of the church followed by seven years of tribulation and ending with Armageddon. The movement promoted a more "positive," even triumphant, scenario, looking for God to pour out His Spirit in a great worldwide revival, which would produce "Manifest Sons of God," a.k.a. Joel's Army. These would be believers, continually filled with the Spirit, who would manifest the same signs and wonders that Jesus did and would judge and conquer the world as they ushered in the 1,000-year reign of Christ.
One of the leaders of the movement has said: "God's people are going to start to exercise rule, and they're going to take dominion over the Power of Satan....As the rod of [God's] strength goes out of Zion, He'll change legislation. He'll chase the devil off the face of God's earth, and God's people...will bring about God's purposes and God's reign."5 This movement, however, ran into the same problems that plagued Calvin in Geneva. The so-called Manifest Sons of God couldn't live up to godly moral standards in practice, even though strict (read "abusive") measures, known as "shepherding," were applied.
The dominionism of the Latter Rain Movement spread far and wide among Pentecostals and Charismatics. Here are some quotes from men whose names you may recognize:
Yes, sin, sickness and disease, spiritual death, poverty, and everything else that's of the devil once ruled us. But now, bless God, we rule them--for this is the Day of Dominion! (the late Kenneth Hagin)
Those in [Joel's] army will have the kind of anointing...[Christ's] kind of power...anyone who wants to harm them must die. (the late John Wimber)
The manifestation of the Sons of God [are] the "overcomers" who will become perfected and step into immortality in order to establish the Kingdom of God on earth. (George Warnock)
The movement was further promoted by the late Bishop Earl Paulk, who taught that Christ was "held in heaven" until His Body, the church, purified itself and the world. Paulk, however, had problems purifying himself, having had a long history of sexual immoralities and was later convicted of perjury. In the 1980s, under Paulk's leadership, charismatic Kingdom Theology joined forces with Calvinistic Dominionist Theology, also known as Christian Reconstructionism, or Theonomy.
Christian Reconstructionism was popularized by Rousas Rushdoony and his son-in-law, Gary North. Reconstructionists believe that by applying the laws of the Old Testament and the principles of the New Testament, the world will be morally transformed by Christians. This, they claimed, would draw people to Christ. Their eschatology is postmillennial, which means that they expect Christ to return after 1,000 years (viewed by some as a symbolic number, meaning that it could be much longer) of successfully reaping the fruit produced by applying the law.
From the 1980s through the turn of the century, a Reconstructionist group called the Coalition On Revival, or COR, greatly influenced conservative evangelicals to seek to transform the U.S. into a Christian-run nation by using the political process. Although the Reconstructionists and the charismatic Kingdom-Now proponents were far apart theologically, the dominionist beliefs that are basic to both camps drew them together. Gary North noted that this surprising liaison made sense in another way: "...bringing together the postmillennial Christian reconstructionists and the 'positive confession' charismatics, with the former providing the footnotes, theology, and political action skills, and the latter providing the money, the audience, and the satellite technology [e.g., TBN and Christian Broadcasting Network]."6
A number of years ago, a friend of mine sat in on a meeting of Reconstructionists and asked if they truly intended to apply the biblical laws such as stoning and other capital punishments, to which a national leader of the movement replied, "Absolutely!" It seems that the Calvinist Reconstructionists learned little from the failure of Calvin's totalitarian experiment in Geneva.
The Kingdom-Dominionist movement continues, especially among charismatics, to our present day. Jack Hayford, George Otis Jr., and C. Peter Wagner promoted a form of Kingdom Theology that involved taking back the dominion that Adam and Eve lost in the Garden of Eden. One of the movement's leaders explains, "Jesus gave us His authority and...we are supposed to reclaim, restore, organize, and rule over the earth--not only in a spiritual sense, but through economical, political, educational, and social reform as well." Here is why, this same person tells us, Christians must put to use their God-ordained authority: "Jesus is held in the heavenlies until all things are restored under His feet. He will not and cannot physically return to earth until the church [has brought] a measure of God's ruling authority back to this earth."7
This form of Kingdom-Dominionism is rife with methods, rituals, and techniques to be followed in order to seize control. C. Peter Wagner's books Breaking Strongholds In Your City and Confronting the Powers contain what he calls "state-of-the-art spiritual methodologies" for taking dominion: identifying territorial spirits, prayer journeys, spiritual mapping, strategic level spiritual warfare, identificational repentance, reconciliation walking, city transformation, praise marches, redeeming the culture, taking our cities, workplaces, and schools for Christ, etc.
I personally experienced the implementation of these techniques during the heyday of Wagner's "strategic level spiritual warfare" influence when some students attempted to "take our local high school for Christ." They buried crosses on the football field and anointed the school windows with oil. Not only did they not take their school for Christ, but they almost caused every Christian student organization to be thrown off campus.
C. Peter Wagner is the chief of operations behind this, and the methods that he says God has given to him are seemingly endless. He is the one who brought John Wimber to Fuller Theological Seminary (FTS) to teach "Signs, Wonders, and Church Growth," later renamed "The Miraculous and Church Growth," which Wagner co-authored with him. Wagner was also the academic mentor who supervised Rick Warren's doctorate dissertation at FTS.
Jack Hayford spent years meeting with Lloyd Ogilvie and other local pastors at Hollywood Presbyterian Church as they applied various spiritual techniques to "transform Los Angeles for Christ." Hayford candidly admitted the failure years later: "My city's [still] being torn on the inside by gang violence and murder, polluted by homosexuality and pornography on the dark side, and suffocated with pride, self-centered snobbishness and sensuality on the 'show' side...[it's] enough to self-destruct us."8
All of these movements from church history hold this in common: they are earthbound. Focused on setting up the kingdom of God here on earth prior to or in order to expedite our Lord's return, all have a very serious problem. According to the Scriptures, the next kingdom to come on this earth is the kingdom of the Antichrist, which will last for seven years. True believers in Christ will have no part in that kingdom. They will have been removed from this planet by the Lord Jesus and taken to heaven. This event is called the Rapture (John 14:1-3; Philippians 3:20; 1 Thessalonians 5:9-11; 4:16-18; Hebrews 9:28; 1 Corinthians 15:51-52; Colossians 3:4; 1 Thessalonians 1:10; 1 John 3:2-3; Titus 2:13; 1 Timothy 6:14; Revelation 3:10; 2 Timothy 4:8, Luke 12:35,37,40), which will happen prior to the Great Tribulation period, during which time those who have followed the Antichrist will suffer God's wrath.
As Dave Hunt has noted in Whatever Happened to Heaven?: "The great seduction is to turn us from heaven to earth, from the true God to ourselves, from the denial of self to the acceptance, love, and esteem of oneself, from God's truth to Satan's lie. At the heart of this seduction are beliefs that have a deceptively spiritual appeal, but which actually turn us from loving Christ and His appearing to the earthly ambition of taking over society and remaking this world into the paradise that Adam and Eve lost" (p. 308).
Much of what has been presented here are some of the historic seeds of an earthbound dominionism that have been sown in Christianity throughout the last 1,000 years. They have taken root and are thriving in the church in this fledgling twenty-first century. In part 2 of this series, the Lord willing, we will address what is being promoted in Christendom today in an attempt to draw the Bride (true believers in Christ) away from eagerly looking for the coming of the Groom to take her to their wedding in heaven. We will question whether or not efforts within the church (the ecological movement, the ecumenical movement, social gospel endeavors, political activism, "redeeming the culture" techniques, solving the world's problems through a global P.E.A.C.E. plan, etc.) can be supported by the Word of God. TBC
Endnotes
1. R. W. Southern, Western Society and the Church in the Middle Ages (Penguin Books, Vol. 2 of Pelican History of the Church Series, 1970), 18-19, cited in Dave Hunt, Whatever Happened to Heaven?(Harvest House, 1988), 150-51.
2. Will Durant, The Reformation: A History of European Civilizations from Wyclif to Calvin: 1300-1564 (Simon & Schuster, 1957), 472-73, cited in Hunt, Heaven, 175-76.
3. Edwin Muir, John Knox: Portrait of a Calvinist (The Viking Press, 1929), 106-8, cited in Hunt, Heaven, 174-75.
4. Hunt, Heaven, 174.
5. Ern Baxter (associate of William Branham), cited in Sandy Simpson, "Dominionism Exposed," http://www.deceptioninthechurch.com/dominionismexposed.html.
6. Gary North, Christian Reconstructionism: The Attack on the "New" Pentecostal, January/February 1988, Vol. X, No. 1.
7. Dr. Kluane Spake, "Dominion Theology and Kingdom NOW," http://hubpages.com/hub/Dominion-Theology-by-Dr-Kluane-Spake.
8. Jack Hayford, cited in Dr. Peter Wagner, "Let's Take Dominion Now," http://www.intheworkplace.com/apps/articles/default.asp?articlid=22902&columnid=1935.
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