Volume 15, Issue 4
"DECEPTION IN THE CHURCH" e-Newsletter
1/29/06
Dear All,
Greetings from the islands of the Pacific!
FEATURE ARTICLE
The feature article for this newsletter is "Dominionism
and its Human Empire" by Prof. Johan Malan, University of Limpopo,
South Africa (February 2006). Millions of Christians all over
the world are confronted with the growing tide of dominionism. This is
a form of Christian humanism in which believers see themselves as commissioned
and empowered by God to manifest His kingdom on earth to the good of all.
Dominionism is based upon kingdom theology since it claims to physically
reveal the kingdom of God with all its benefits to humanity. Its institution
is described as reconstructionism or a transformation movement because
of the far-reaching changes that society must undergo to ensure a better
life for all. This situation is described by some as “heaven on earth”
and presupposes the incapacitating of Satan’s opposing kingdom of darkness.
This
article exposes the heresy of Dominionism and its far reaching implications
in Christendom.
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Timely!
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Lord bless!
In His hands,
Sandy Simpson
Apologetics Coordination Team (ACT)
Dominionism
and its Human Empire
Johan
Malan, University of Limpopo, South Africa (February 2006)
Millions
of Christians all over the world are confronted with the growing tide of
dominionism. This is a form of Christian humanism in which believers see
themselves as commissioned and empowered by God to manifest His kingdom
on earth to the good of all. Dominionism is based upon kingdom
theology since it claims to physically reveal the kingdom of God with
all its benefits to humanity. Its institution is described as reconstructionism
or a transformation movement because of the far-reaching changes
that society must undergo to ensure a better life for all. This situation
is described by some as “heaven on earth” and presupposes the incapacitating
of Satan’s opposing kingdom of darkness.
The
dominion mandate
Christian
reconstructionists accept Genesis 1:26
as a dominion mandate, or dominion covenant: “Then God said, Let us
make man in our image, according to our likeness, let them have dominion
over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle,
over all the earth and over every creeping thing” (Gen. 1:26). After
the Flood, this mandate was confirmed with Noah (Gen. 9:1-3).
It
is argued that in Christ we regain the dominion that Adam had lost because
of the Fall (Gen. 3). The major implication of this view is this – if we
are involved in holding dominion over all the Earth then we must be involved
in running it, including the ordering of all forms of human government.
To do that, they teach that a bold stand should be taken in faith on our
divine mandate. We should also be engaged in spiritual warfare to strip
Satan of the powers and destructive influence that he gained after depriving
the fallen Adam of his God-given authority.
The
Great Commission (Matt. 28:18-20) is regarded as an inherent part of the
dominion mandate, with the express implication that entire nations should
be discipled and that Christ’s authority over all the Earth should become
manifest through the Church which is His body. All people will, in all
walks of life, benefit from the imposing of God’s laws by the church, which
is the overt manifestation of His kingdom on Earth.
A
popular movement
The
peace, prosperity and good fortunes offered by this dominionist movement
render it very popular among business and political leaders, who see substantial
advantages for themselves in the realization of these objectives. Most
of all, churches will benefit because of their enhanced status, higher
public acclaim, increased income and bigger influence in society. Naïve
evangelicals also see this as an opportunity to quickly reach the millions
of lost for Christ and to even disciple entire nations effortlessly.
Superficially
evaluated, dominionism appears to be a very dynamic and positive movement
to release the power and blessings of God’s kingdom to eradicate all forms
of evil, to significantly improve people’s lives, to heal a troubled world
of all its ailments, and to bring the lost masses to Christ.
Are
we commissioned to do all these things? This movement and its doctrinal
basis should be thoroughly investigated before recognizing and supporting
it.
The
very important question that must be answered is whether this vision is
in accordance with the nature and functions of the church age in God’s
eternal counsel for humanity. On close examination it soon becomes evident
that dominionists have taken the blessings, powers and living conditions
of the future kingdom dispensation – that will only be revealed
after the coming of the King – and have transferred them to the present
church age.
The
result is a kingdom vision which is dispensationally completely out of
place, and therefore presumptuous and humanly-imposed. It elevates man
rather than God since the pleasures and rewards of the present life are
the prime objectives of the movement. Being supported by the public sector
and lavishly financed by the private sector of society, the transformation
movement is not only humanly-conceived and humanly-imposed but also humanly-driven.
The concept might be derived from the Bible, but dispensationally it is
completely out of place.
The
leaders of the movement have specific objectives in mind, but to avoid
controversy and dissent among supporters they have separated the interim
and ultimate objectives of the movements. Its interim objectives are aimed
at wide public appeal among all interest groups in society. They have been
formulated in such a way that most Christians will see them as beneficial
and biblically sound. But this program is only a prelude to another scenario
that will naturally develop from the first one. The two phases of dominionism
are as follows:
Interim
objectives
A
clear-cut strategy is followed to establish God’s kingdom in various countries.
It has local as well as regional and national applications aimed at revealing
the benevolent nature of God’s kingdom. Spiritually, the movement is broadly
based upon God’s love and intended blessings for all humanity. It is therefore
suited to most denominations despite their specific doctrinal persuasions.
Socially, it is as user-friendly as possible to serve as a tool for social
transformation to a better life. Economically, it is geared to alleviate
poverty. Politically it is aimed at collaboration with governments, with
a view to promoting kingdom-type governance which will better serve the
needs of all people in society. The following interim objectives are pursued:
Unity.
Churches should demonstrate their inherent Christian unity by associating
with one another within the context of an ecumenical body. In the absence
of such a body they should create common structures and join hands to better
serve their communities. They should not question one another’s doctrines
but remain focused on the task at hand; meanwhile following the World Council
of Churches’ guideline that “doctrine divides but service unites.”
Public
demonstrations. All the Christians of
a particular community or city should occasionally attend mass meetings
in public places such as sports stadiums in order to demonstrate their
unity, power, commitment to social upliftment, and potential dominance
once fully united. They should also arrange marches to demonstrate against
injustices and to demand certain changes.
Church
growth. Individual congregations and
denominations should join the Church Growth Movement with a view to expanding
the influence of the church. In this way the church at large can assert
its dominance in society. The emphasis in preaching should not be placed
on the demands of the Gospel but on easy access to the church. Churches
should become more user-friendly and relevant to modern society.
Prayer. Corporate
prayer on a fixed weekly or monthly schedule is regarded as a way of ensuring
God’s blessings upon the transformation agenda towards realizing His kingdom
on Earth. The meetings should demonstrate the ecumenical nature of the
movement and the noble objectives of social upliftment to which they committed
themselves.
Organization. On
the organizational level, nationwide structures should be formed to render
assistance to the needy and to promote change through a vibrant process
of social transformation. These structures should be staffed by able persons
who can organize activities by mobilizing as many as possible volunteers.
Networking.
The success of the movement depends upon extensive networking with key
figures and organizations in the government and business sectors to obtain
backing and support for transformation programs. The unifying network should
function in all local communities but also extend to the national level
in order to facilitate change there.
Relief
programs and counselling. Every local
community should set up committees staffed by able persons to organise
relief programs and provide counselling to sick, traumatized and afflicted
persons. A helping hand should be lent out to all who are in need, whatever
their circumstances.
Education
and training. The former emphasis on
literacy training is rapidly replaced by “orality.” This is an approach
to teaching the Bible in which pictures and the spoken word are primarily
used instead of teaching the written Word. It is a deconstruction process
in which literacy training is declared to be too difficult for most of
the uneducated people in underdeveloped countries. Furthermore, vocational
training should be offered for the practicing of various skills. The training
of pastors for the rapidly expanding church must also be provided for as
they are the main agents of change.
Cleansing. Society
should be cleansed of all its ailments and contamination such as crime
and the suffering caused by disease, poverty, unemployment, oppression,
and the exploitation of people. The social, economic, psychological and
religious counselling needed should be rendered on a regular basis.
Upliftment. The
quality of personal and community life should be uplifted to such an extent
that negative attitudes and the propensity to crime will be significantly
reduced and ultimately disappear from society. All people should be motivated
to observe honourable lifestyles which will challenge other people rather
than posing any threat to them.
There
are reasons for serious concern over a number of issues in dominionist
reforms on the local and in the national levels, such as the forging of
ecumenical ties, the application of humanistic methods of church growth,
and the church’s shift of focus to socio-economic issues. However, some
of the activities are very noble and much needed, and cannot be discredited
per
se. But before finally evaluating the local manifestations and activities
of this movement one should consider them in the light of its ultimate
objectives. Biblical statements will then be quoted to test the validity
of the entire movement.
Ultimate
objectives
Dominion
theology can only be properly understood and assessed if its ultimate objectives
are brought into the equation. They have clearly been stated by dominion
theologians such as C. Peter Wagner, George Otis, Jr., Ted Haggard and
others. These objectives are:
Ushering
in the kingdom of God on Earth. The kingdom
of God should become manifest by Christianizing all the organs of civil
society, and empowering the church to play a leading role in determining
the nature of public life in all societies. Evil will vanish and God will
take full control of the affairs of humanity through the mediation of specially
anointed apostles and prophets.
The
pulling down of demonic strongholds. The
movement’s top leaders see no co-existence of the kingdoms of God and Satan
in the world and have wholeheartedly committed themselves to a form of
strategic spiritual warfare that will lead to the expected pulling down
and utter destruction of Satan’s multiple strongholds on Earth. In territories
where this battle has been won, people will be delivered from spiritual
oppression and the blinding of their minds by Satan and his demons. With
all impeding factors removed they will flock to churches where great revivals
will occur. The negative influences of Satan’s kingdom will vanish from
societies, including crime, violence, warfare, corruption, false religions,
witchcraft, drug abuse, HIV/Aids, etc. All people will rejoice in the kingdom
of God and serve Him with one accord.
The
discipling of nations. Entire nations will
be discipled in a top-down process in which the government takes the lead
to accept the Christian faith and introduce Christian principles of governance.
The nation will follow suit and soon they will all enjoy the benefits of
God’s kingdom and see the crime-rate plunging, the morality of the nation
will be raised to biblical standards, the economy will boom, and all forms
of suffering and poverty rapidly will fade into oblivion.
The
cultural transformation of nations. As nations
are discipled and drawn into the kingdom of God, they become involved with
an intensive process of cultural transformation. All aspects of their culture
– including religion, politics, economic practices, social life, education,
sport, arts and recreation – should be conformed to Christian standards.
While doing so, God will guide the nation to higher levels of prosperity,
peace and cultural achievements.
The
establishment of a world church. The ultimate
objective with collaborative ties between various churches is the complete
vanishing of denominational boundaries and the establishment of the post-denominational
church of the 21st century. All local assemblies will be cells
of united city churches under the leadership of apostles and prophets.
The city churches will globally be linked into the emerging world church.
When that stage has been reached, the kingdom of God will have been established
world-wide and have dominion over the nations.
Global
Day of Prayer. This occasion, which was first
staged in May 2005, is patterned after the New Age Movement’s World-wide
Healing Day on 31st December annually, during which supporters
of the movement seek to promote unity, peace and harmony on Earth through
meditative prayers which are offered at the same time. The Global Day of
Prayer is an effort to bring about a new Pentecost during which God’s Spirit
will be freshly poured out upon Earth to kindle a global movement towards
manifesting God’s kingdom on Earth. The corporate nature of this activity
is also a practical expression of ecumenical ties and the future unification
of all Christian churches in a global structure.
The
bigger picture of dominionism
When
the ultimate objectives of dominionism are taken into account it becomes
very clear what the grassroots movements in every nation are ultimately
aimed towards. Within this broader context the following concerns may be
raised:
Unity.
Joint ventures by churches on the local level are only the early beginnings
of an ecumenical movement on the national level, to be logically followed
by international ecumenical ties, and ultimately the post-denominational
world church. The authority that will be vested in the emerging city churches
and world church is a major aim of dominionism and has a distinct humanistic
connotation by elevating and empowering humanity to become masters of their
own destiny. Churches that do not subscribe to this vision should not even
become involved on the grassroots level of ecumenical ventures.
Public
demonstrations by multi-denominational groups
of Christians are humanistic efforts to assert their dominance in society.
Their strength is not in the Lord but in the bargaining power generated
by their large constituency in society.
The
Church Growth Movement is a method to bring
the whole world into the church, thus enabling the church to accept an
unchallenged leadership position in society. In order to hasten this process,
entry into the church is made as easy as possible. The major aims with
this movement are to bring all people into the church, thereby asserting
its supremacy and vastly increasing its income. If the salvation of souls
was truly the main aim, the biblical standards of repentance and rebirth
would not have been compromised for the sake of rapid expansion.
Prayer
meetings for the saving of souls and the
material improvement of people’s lives are important and much needed. But
why should they be corporate, ecumenical and organized concurrently to
supposedly increase their impact? The humanistic and dominionist agenda
with these prayer meetings are very obvious. Even though there might be
many Christians who support these meetings with pure intentions to intercede
for suffering and spiritually dead people, they still participate in an
ecumenical venture aimed at achieving social transformation and upliftment
rather than spiritual growth. They also have to account to themselves why
they think joint prayer meetings will have more power with God than prayers
offered alone or in smaller groups.
Cleansing
entails the deliverance of individuals, communities and the entire world
from sin and evil influences. In this process, two erroneous assumptions
are made. The first one is that all personal and social problems can be
attributed to demons. Deliverance from demons is then practiced to solve
the problems. However, according to the Bible, most of people’s problems
are described as the works of the un-crucified flesh (Gal. 5:17; Rom. 8:13).
The second assumption is that the devil can be evicted from entire societies
during this dispensation, and his strongholds pulled down. This assumption
is not supported by the Bible during the church dispensation and will only
happen at the Second Coming of Christ (Rev. 20:2-3).
Relief
programs to alleviate suffering and poverty
are not seen in this movement as acts which are secondary to evangelisation
and the efforts of governments, but as the primary responsibility of the
church. As a result of this view, scarce resources of the church are not
used for evangelism but for the funding of humanitarian projects.
Education
and social upliftment are also now regarded
to be the work of the church, but they are not. These tasks are the prime
responsibility of civil governments.
Eschatology
of dominionism
Dominionism
is intent on establishing a literal, physical kingdom on Earth before the
Second Coming of Christ. Dominionists see the emerging kingdom as being
driven by the power of ecumenical unity and also by greater dedication
to God’s laws. The inclusive nature of the united church of the end-time
necessitates a very general and superficial definition of Christianity
in order to accommodate all possible creeds and denominations.
No
efforts are made to identify and eradicate spiritual deception; neither
are any “negative” subjects such as the Antichrist and the coming tribulation
period discussed by Dominionists. All the “dark” prophecies are historically
interpreted as having been fulfilled during the first century AD. The end-time
is only associated with the ever expanding kingdom of God on Earth, great
revivals, and far-reaching socio-economic and political transformation
under the auspices of the global church and its leaders. The process of
reconstruction will be in accordance with the principles of God’s unrivalled
kingdom. They teach that when Christ comes, the kingdom will already have
been established by the church, which is His body.
The
decidedly physical nature of the dominionists’ kingdom explains the strong
emphasizing of physical (material) changes in the world and the weak emphasizing
of our relationship with Christ. They want to see practical changes in
the world towards greater unity and a better life for all. They insist
that this dispensation will end on a high note when Jesus Christ will return
to establish His eternal kingdom.
Transforming
Southern Africa
The
dawning of the new millennium saw the birth of a transformation movement
in Southern Africa as part of the process to introduce and establish the
kingdom of God in this region. The ball was set rolling by the release
of two transformations videos by the Sentinel group of George Otis, Jr.
In these videos, exaggerated claims are made of a number of cities and
regions which were delivered from evil strongholds during a transformation
process. In the videos, the deceptive impression is made that joint, ecumenical
prayer meetings, which also included Catholics, were the main force behind
the eviction of Satan and his evil practices. It is said that crime decreased
drastically and prisons became empty. According to the videos, harmony
and peace descended upon the liberated communities, revival followed and
the various economies entered a phase of rapid growth.
Dr.
B. Mostert of NUPSA (Network for United Prayer in Southern Africa) widely
distributed the first of these two videos in South Africa and Namibia and
also promoted the books of George Otis (for a review of the latter’s Moral
Government Theology, click here). Dr. Mostert also became a follower of
C. Peter Wagner of the World Prayer Center. Like George Otis, he engages
in spiritual mapping as preparation for strategic spiritual warfare to
pull down demonic strongholds in cities and countries.
In
2001, Dr. Mostert and his teams implemented action “Cleansing South Africa”
to cleanse the entire country of evil influences, including bloodline curses.
Some of the strongholds that were allegedly pulled down during prayer marches
were at caves and other sites where the first inhabitants of South Africa,
the Bushmen (San) lived and introduced ancestor worship and witchcraft
to this country. After this operation, the country was dedicated to the
Lord and declared to be free of evil strongholds. On being confronted by
the reality of Satan’s continued presence and influence after his presumed
incapacitation, NUPSA said that these are his last convulsions before finally
leaving. These convulsions or last agonies of the devil have rather been
increasing during the subsequent five years.
Also
in 2001, the first transformation meeting was held in the big Newlands
sports stadium in Cape Town. The organizer was Graham Power, a wealthy
businessman who had a vision of revival and economic prosperity starting
in South Africa and expanding up north to transform the entire continent.
He believes that, according to his vision, Africa would become a light
to the rest of the world, to challenge other countries by their example
of the practical and beneficial changes that will follow once the unity
and goodwill of the kingdom of God has taken root in the different countries.
Graham was also fired up by the transformation video of Otis and is a staunch
believer in transformation towards kingdom conditions.
In
2002, transformation mass meetings were held in seven South African cities.
All churches were invited. The focal areas for prayer in 2002 were HIV/Aids,
poverty, crime and the leadership of the country. The scope for these meetings
expanded throughout Africa and many other countries abroad. On May 15,
2005, it culminated in a Global Day of Prayer to render transformation
a global movement. The aim with this day of prayer was to bring about a
new Pentecost that would release the power of God’s kingdom across the
world.
In
neighbouring Namibia, the transformation movement also has a strong focus
on unity and secular welfare. In a Transformation Namibia brochure the
movement states its main objectives as follows: “With it we want to spread
the Transformation message, of making the Namibian Dream a reality by uniting
Government, Business and Church leaders.” The lack of true spiritual commitment
is also evident from a statement of their activities on grassroots level.
They envisage: “Dream Centres to address the specific needs in each community,
e.g. distribution of food, distribution of clothes, counselling in personal
issues such as HIV/Aids and drug abuse, day care for children, and various
skills that could assist unemployed individuals to make a living.” The
movement has no specific spiritual content other than churches joining
hands within the framework of the Council of Churches of Namibia (CNN),
a national ecumenical body formed after the example set by the World Council
of Churches (WCC).
Biblical
evaluation of dominionism
It
is evident that the transformation or restructuring of communities, nations,
and eventually the whole world, is a concerted effort to take dominion
over them on behalf of Christ. Biblical truths are grossly distorted to
substantiate the agenda of dominionism:
A
distortion of the dominion mandate. The mandate
of Genesis 1:26 does
not imply ruling over people – it only submits the natural world to the
authority of humanity. The ecological disasters threatening the world today,
e.g. pollution of the atmosphere and water resources, deforestation and
global warming, are the dire consequences of humanity’s abuse of the dominion
mandate. The dominion granted to Adam and his descendants was not lost
during the Fall and consequently did not need to be restored to them by
Christ. In Jesus Christ, all those who believe are reborn by being spiritually
quickened (Rom. 5:12-17). That does not restore our dominion mandate over
nature, but provides spiritual motivation for a more responsible form of
the managing of our natural resources.
A
distortion of the Great Commission.Matthew
28:19 is not a dominion mandate as it only involves
the proclamation of the Gospel among all nations. Christ cautioned His
disciples against expectations that entire nations would repent and enter
the kingdom of God: “Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way
which leads to life, and there are few who find it” (Matt. 7:14; cf. Luke
13:23-24). Repentance is an act in which individuals
accept the saving grace of the Lord Jesus in faith – a government can’t
do it on behalf of all its citizens. Even if certain political leaders
are saved, that does not mean that the entire government is constituted
of saved persons who will serve the Lord with one accord, thereby giving
political expression to Christian dominionism.
A
distortion of the kingdom concept. Christ
clearly indicated that His kingdom is a spiritual kingdom which is not
of this world (John 18:36). For this reason it cannot now be physically
observed in the world as it is vested in the hearts of true believers (Luke
17:20-21). That does not mean that Christ’s kingdom will never be physically
revealed on earth – it will indeed, but only at the Second Coming of Jesus
Christ. He will come as the King of kings (Rev. 19:16), have the devil
bound and sealed up in a bottomless pit (Rev. 20:2-3), and rule with His
saints (Rev. 5:9-10; 20:6). This rule cannot be instituted during the physical
absence of the Lord Jesus as He must be back to restore the throne of David
in Jerusalem and rule the world from there (Acts 15:16-17).
A
distortion of the church age. Biblical statements
and promises should be interpreted within their proper dispensational context.
The church age should never be equated with the kingdom age which will
only follow after the coming of the King. During the church age, the majority
support enjoyed by the kingdom of darkness renders the world basically
a wicked place to live in (John 3:19). Christians are called upon to be
salt of a corrupt Earth and the light of a dark world (Matt. 5:13-14; Phil.
2:15). We should not be surprised if we are hated and rejected by this
evil world and its rulers (John 15:18-20; 16:33). Because of this, we are
strangers and sojourners on earth during this dispensation (1 Pet. 2:11)
– not rulers.
A
distortion of our present status. Presently,
believers are not kings who rule over their inheritance but soldiers for
the cross. Paul says, “You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier
of Jesus Christ” (2 Tim. 2:3). We must put on the whole armour of God that
we may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil (Eph. 6:11). During
this dispensation, the devil is not stripped of his powers and influence
over entire communities and nations – only individual believers are delivered
from his domination. As for the outside world, it will remain spiritually
dark as ”the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one” (1 John
5:19). He is “the god of this age” who blinds the minds
of people (2 Cor. 4:4). Most people prefer it that way (John 3:19) and
consequently offer the devil a big support-base in “the present evil world”
(Gal. 1:4).
A
distortion of unity. Dominionists also distort
Christ’s injunction that we should be one as He and the Father are one
(John 17:11,21). They interpret this command structurally rather than spiritually.
To them, the spiritual bond among believers should manifest ecumenically
by working towards the realization of a united world church. The spiritual
bond in the united family of churches, particularly in the WCC, is very
weak and poorly defined to avoid offending any of its constituent denominations.
In this way, they have only succeeded in achieving a predominantly nominal
form of Christianity with an outward form of godliness, but denying the
regenerating power of the Holy Spirit (2 Tim. 3:5). They may have a kingdom
vision to change the world in terms of their own agenda but they are not
used of God. Paul clearly admonishes true Christians to leave the ranks
of nominal believers: “From such turn away!” (2 Tim. 3:5). Structural unity
should not be pursued when it compromises one’s faith: “For there must
also be factions among you, that those who are approved may be recognised
among you” (1 Cor. 11:19).
A
distortion of our work ethic. The works of
dominionists are primarily of a secular nature. They see it as their main
task to reconstruct the world in terms of kingdom principles. These humanitarian
works are of a social, economic, political, or medical nature. They usually,
only as a sideline, refer to the evangelization and spiritual growth of
people. “What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses
his own soul?” (Mark 8:36). Important as the daily needs of people may
be, we should not only emphasize and supply in these needs as they do not
have eternal value. Paul says, “If in this life only we have hope in Christ,
we are of all men the most pitiable” (1 Cor. 15:19). Our main expectation
and preparations for a better life should be focused on the promise of
the resurrection and eternal life in heaven.
A
distortion of end-time prophecies. There
is a general denial among dominionists of a deteriorating world at the
end of the church dispensation, leading to the tribulation period and the
revelation of the man of sin. They do not accept the fact of a great falling
away in the end-time (2 Thess. 2:3) and the proliferation of evil and wickedness
to unprecedented levels (Matt. 24:12; 2 Tim. 3:1-5; Rev. 22:11). Instead
of this biblical scenario, they promote a view of a united and peaceful
world under the control of the revived church of the end-time. They refuse
to make any statements that would jeopardize the man-made ecumenical ties
that hold Christianity together. Religious deception is not investigated
and uprooted as it would offend some of the participating churches in the
ecumenical movement. For this reason, doctrinal purity is not pursued,
thereby leaving the door wide open to deceiving spirits and doctrines of
demons (1 Tim. 4:1). Nothing is said on the rise of the Antichrist and
global preparations for the war of Armageddon as that do not fit into their
kingdom vision for the world. They can only offer to people the false hope
of a man-made Utopia.
A
distortion of Israel. Replacement theology
is generally practiced, in which churches see themselves as part of the
“New Israel” through which God will rule the world. Dominionists do not
recognize biblical Israel and their end-time restoration to the land of
their fathers (cf. Ezek 36:22-28).
The WCC, which represents around half a billion Christians of 342 churches
in 120 countries, also joined the growing movement for divestment against
Israel. In March 2005 they condemned Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestinian
land in Gaza and the West Bank. They actively oppose the covenant people,
Israel, while seeing themselves as the “Israel of God” that will soon rule
the world.
Coming
of the kingdom
The
kingdom of God will only be physically manifested when Christ comes: “Then
the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying,
The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of
His Christ, and He shall reign for ever and ever” (Rev. 11:15). The
devil will be bound so that he should deceive the nations no more (Rev.
20:3). Then, and then only, entire nations will serve the Lord: “At
that time Jerusalem shall be called The Throne of the Lord, and all the
nations shall be gathered to it, to the name of the Lord, to Jerusalem;
they shall walk nor more after the stubbornness of their evil heart”
(Jer. 3:17).
With
Satan being stripped of all his powers and strongholds on earth, entire
cities and nations will serve the Lord during His millennial reign from
Jerusalem (Zech. 8:20-22; Isa. 2:2-4). But that is yet future. In the present
dispensation we must shine as lights in the midst of a crooked and perverse
generation (Phil. 2:15). We are citizens of a heavenly kingdom and wait
for the soon coming of the King to reveal His kingdom on Earth (Phil. 3:20-21).
Prof.
Johan Malan's articles and more can be found at http://www.bibleguidance.co.za/.