Article taken from: Media Spotlight, Vol.7,
P.O. Box 1288, Costa Mesa, CA 92628
CONTENTS:
INTRODUCTION
THE DOMINION CONCEPT
-
Earl Paulk
-
Gary North
-
David Chilton
-
Pat Robertson
FIVE-FOLD MINISTRIES
PURGING THE EARTH
-
Franklin Hall
-
Royal Cronquist
-
Earl Paulk
-
James McKeever
IMMORTALIZATION
-
Earl Paulk
-
David Ebaugh
-
Sam Fife
INTRODUCTION
This segment of our treatise on "Kingdom Now" or "Dominion"
Theology has been the most difficult to complete, both in terms
of assimilating the contents and in presenting them in a manner
that would not be inflammatory or denigrating to any individual's
character.
Just getting from the research to the writing has been extremely
difficult and time-consuming in view of the mounds of documentation
that I've had to read and reread, or listen to on audio and
video tapes over and over in order to avoid the mistake of
judging erroneously or taking statements out of context.
The importance of the subject matter warranted extreme caution.
I hope the reader will understand my struggle to get this written.
And I thank for their patience those who have waited so long
for this third installment.
Looking Back
In our previous installments we traced today's Dominion Theology
back to the neo-Pentecostalism of the mid-twentieth century,
and what became known as "The Latter Rain Movement."
We discussed the influence of occult methodology upon the
two principal innovators of that movement: Franklin Hall and
William Branham. Their influence at that time upon certain
pastors and leaders resulted in widespread acceptance of teachings
centered on the supposed "restoration" of the Church.
Perhaps more than anyone else, it was William Branham's influence
that paved the way for this new theology based on the exaltation
of the believer. This engendered a new hope unknown to Scripture:
that as certain "overcomers" in the Church attained a state
of perfection, or sinlessness, they would become immortal even
while in their present bodies. This, then, became the basis
for the belief that, through the perfecting of the overcomers
by obedience to the latter day "apostles" and "prophets," the
Church will take dominion over the governments and social institutions
of the world. Thus the earth will be prepared for Christ's
return.
These teachings found their greatest expression in theManifested
Sons of Godand related movements. They have lately become more
widespread so that many in the Church today believe it is not
possible for Jesus to return until the Church has made the
earth 'its' footstool.
In addressing these aberrant teachings we also explored other
doctrines peculiar to Kingdom Now Theology, and we saw how
each has its own place in the attempt to establish God's Kingdom
on earth before Jesus' return. We also examined the various
movements that hold many or all of the Kingdom Now doctrines.
In this, Part 3, we'll detail some of the key teachings of
Dominion Theology, and we'll quote some of those who teach
them.
It is beyond the scope of this writing to quote everyone who
holds each doctrine, but we will offer a sampling from a few
teachers whose statements typically reflect these doctrines.
Wherever possible we will identify the movements to which these
teachers belong, although many do not overtly identify themselves
with any particular group.
The reader should keep in mind that Dominion Theology is not
an easily delineated segment within the Church, but rather
a loose networking of autonomous sub-movements that have different
approaches to their attempts at establishing the Kingdom of
God.
The central doctrine of all, however, is that Jesus cannot
or will not return to the earth until the Church has taken
control of at least a significant portion of human government
and social institutions.Whether this incorporates belief in
a worldwide theocracy, or theonomy, or the subjugation of individual
secular states to the authority of the Church depends upon
the particular brand of Dominion Theology one holds.
Whether the Lord will return immediately after the Church
has taken control or after it has been in control for some
time up to and including the end of the Millennium, is likewise
dependent upon individual beliefs.
Again, not all who espouse these teachings overtly identify
themselves with any segment within Dominion Theology. Yet each
of these teachings is peculiar to Dominion Theology and contrary
to sound, biblical exegesis. So, while some dominion teachers
stress some teachings over others, they are all propagating
errors that are leaving the Body of Christ open to great deception.
Whether or not these teachers propagate the full gamut of
Dominion Theology is not as important as the fact that they
have adopted these unscriptural beliefs and are spreading them
throughout the Church by way of the mass communications media
and special pastors' conferences which subtly educate Christian
leaders to the heretical doctrines of Dominion Theology. We
should therefore be cautious of what we hear from these people.
Does It Really Matter?
Some might question if it's really important whether someone
believes that Jesus will not return until the Church has taken
dominion over the earth. This is a legitimate question to which
I must respond that, in terms of salvation and spiritual growth
overall, it isn't important.
I have friends who hold a post-millennialist viewpoint and
I count them as brethren in Christ. I welcome fellowship with
them and we engage in honest (and spirited) dialogue in a spirit
of love. Perhaps the reason we get along so well is that we
are willing to listen to each others' viewpoints and recognize
that there are strong and weak arguments on all sides of the
issues.
A postmillennialist stance doesn't necessarily mean a desire
for world domination. And they are not so closed-minded to
the possibility that the world cannot survive much longer unless
the Lord does intervene with His personal presence. No, the
problem doesn't lie in the basic tenets of the faith.
We will find that many dominion proponents agree with us on
the essential doctrines involving the natures of God, man,
and Satan, as well as salvation through the shed blood of Jesus,
etc.
It does appear, however, that some - particularly in the "Word-faith
Movement" among charismatics - are straying from sound doctrine
in some of these areas of late. The basic problems with dominion
teaching lie more in the realm of Church life and the authoritarian
structure necessary to implement and maintain a dominion mindset.
This is evidenced by cultish tendencies that rob individual
believers of a true understanding of their personal relationship
with the Father. It requires that nothing of a spiritual (and
often material) nature be undertaken without the approval of
one's "covering." There are also dangers in the elitist mentality
that naturally progresses from the idea that somehow, due to
God's grace or one's own sense of righteousness, human life
apart from those numbered among the elite becomes cheap.
An additional problem is that followers of Dominion Theology
are easy prey for political extremists. There are those who
play upon the concerns of all Christians who naturally desire
to see eradicated such evils as abortion, pornography, child
abuse, drug dealing, and crime in general.
The fact that many in the "Christian right" are already united
with Sun Myung Moon and the Mormon Church, is sufficient reason
to suspect that, in the long run, no theocentric form of government
will reflect the true biblical pattern for society.
Morality and righteousness are wonderful traits when manifested
as a result of Spirit-filled living. When manifested as a result
of religious fervor (the "good" portion of the tree of knowledge
of good and evil), these traits become precursors to a totalitarian
state.
We would do well to take a lesson from history and remember
that Hitler made his plea for acceptance of Nazism based upon
a platform of anti-communism, anti-homosexuality, patriotism,
amd morality. Many German Christians rejoiced when he assumed
power. In light of these dangers we must identify the sources
of Domnion Theology so that the Body of Christ may at least
be cautious of involvement.
Naturally, if someone desires to believe in Dominion Theology
that is their business. When they teach it publicly, it becomes
everybody's business and they should be willing to have their
teachings exposed to testing by the Word of God.
Now, in order to do justice to this very complex subject,
it is necessary that we name names. Some will find this distasteful
and will perceive it as a personal attack against men and women
of God with whom I disagree. On the contrary, it is my position
that we must be careful not to condemn those who are caught
up in this modern heresy, but we should lift them in prayer,
recognizing that God's grace is extended to all.
Some dominion proponents may be deceivers engaged in a power
struggle for personal gain. Some may also have designs on leading
the Church into areas of compromise with political extremists
on the right. But I believe some are brethren in Christ who
sincerely perceive that they have a biblical mandate to bring
the world systems under the control of the Church. It would
be a mistake to look upon all such people as our enemies just
because they hold a different eschatological viewpoint.
Granted, the dominion viewpoint is dangerous in many of its
implications. But let's not think there is nothing we can learn
from them. As with all spiritual matters the truth lies somewhere
between two extremes. There are problems with the dispensationalist
point of view that the Church has ignored for too long, thus
creating an atmosphere of credibility for Kingom Now Theology.
If, in our zeal to "expose" those in error, we obtain a certain
amount of glee in discovering their feet of clay, we'd best
take heed to ourselves and question whether our motive is really
based upon love. We may rightly quote Jude 3 as justification
for earnestly contending for the faith, but if we forget I
Corinthians 13 we are no more free from error than those whose
errors we expose.
THE DOMINION CONCEPT
The concept of "dominion" as it applies to Kingdom Now Theology
holds that Jesus cannot or will not return until the Church
has taken control of the earth's governments and social institutions.
The following are among the more visible proponents of that
belief:
EARL PAULK (Pastor of Chapel Hill Harvester Church in Atlanta,
Georgia):
In Paulk's own publication he is touted as a "prophet" of
today's Kingdom Message:
"If there is a prophet today who speaks the truth God wants
His Church to hear, it is Earl Paulk. He is the leading voice
today in preaching the message of the Kingdom of God...a
man driven compulsively to show this generation that God
is waiting for us to do something that will bring Christ
back to earth." (1 )
Paulk, himself has stated:
"Christ in us must take dominion over the earth...The next
move of God cannot occur until Christ in us takes dominion."
(2 )"The next move of God will unite His Son in marriage.
The marriage supper of the Lamb, the completion of establishing
the Kingdom, the eternal rule of God, will finally take place."
(3 )
We see that Paulk believes the Marriage Supper of the Lamb
cannot take place until after the Church ("Christ in us") has
taken dominion. But does Paulk mean that Jesus will already
have returned and been with us in order for us to have taken
dominion? No he doesn't. Otherwise he would not have used the
term "Christ in us."
In its proper biblical context that is a valid term. But in
this case its use implies that Jesus will take dominion through
the Church while He remains in Heaven. The office of Christ
cannot be separated from the person of Jesus. He is the 'only'
Christ of God. It is Jesus, when He returns, who must take
dominion and establish the visible Kigdom of God on earth,
not "Christ in us."
But does Paulk understand this, or are his statements nothing
more than poor choices of words? Let's see what else he has
to say:
"Christ was one person, limited to ministry in only one
place at a time. In order to minister as an omnipresent Spirit,
Jesus relinquished His fleshly dimension with its limitations
of time and place. He entered a higher realm of restoration
and love by becoming an indwelling Spirit." (4 )
Either Paulk's Christology has taken an aberrant turn, or
he's had a mental lapse.
Now, I've often heard people, in one breath, address their
prayers to the Father, and, without breaking continuity, address
Jesus as if He and the Father are the same person - a "Jesus
only" mental glitch. I can understand that mistake.
However, when someone 'publishes' a statement that equates
Jesus with the Holy Spirit, I would think that takes more mental
affirmation. It isn't that Christ 'was' one person, He 'is'
one person - Jesus.
When the Scripture says, "Christ in you, the hope of glory"
(Colossians 1:27), it in essence affirms that we are united
with Him by the Spirit of God. He is "in us," and we are "in
Him." It does not mean that He relinquished His fleshly dimension
to become "an indwelling Spirit." He is, and always will be,
"flesh and bones" (Luke 24:39). He is in a specific location,
Heaven, seated at the right hand of the Father. (Yes, I'm sure
He gets up and moves about.) He is in His resurrected 'body,'
limited to place if not to time.
The Holy Spirit - the Third Person of the Trinity - is omnipresent.
It is 'He,' not the person of Jesus, who is the indwelling
Spirit of all who truly believe in Jesus. This is more relevant
to our study than may first appear. For without a proper Christology
one cannot have a proper eschatology.
In this case, Paulk sees Jesus as "an indwelling Spirit."
On this basis he claims that the Church is the "ongoing incarnation
of Christ." In that case, the church is now Christ, and all
Scriptures pertaining to Christ's ruling on earth are really
referring to the Church.
We'll deal with this in more detail in another chapter. For
now, let's consider Paulk's views on dominion.
"When the apostles asked Jesus if He would now restore the
political kingdom, He said, 'It's not for you to know the
times or the seasons. But I will tell you what will take
place in your life, and when you have received what I'll
tell you about, you will be able to bring in the Kingdom
of God.' "How will the Kingdom of God be ushered in? In Acts
1:8, Jesus said, 'But ye shall receive power, after that
the Holy Ghost is come upon you; and ye shall be witnesses
unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria,
and unto the uttermost part of the Earth.'" (5 )
Notice how Paulk puts words in Jesus' mouth by having Him
say, "you will be able to bring in the [political] Kingdom
of God." Nowhere in Scripture is such a statement found. Evidently
the first-century Church did not have enough "faith" or maturity
to accomplish this feat, so it is up to today's Christians
to do the job.
"What are we waiting for? Why is Jesus waiting in heaven
at the right hand of the Father? Who is He waiting for? He
is waiting for you and me to become mature, for the Bride
of Christ to become mature, so that He can come again. Did
you know that God has done everything He can do? If anything
else is going to be done, we're going to do it." (6 ) "In
Matthew 24:14, Jesus clearly says that He cannot return for
His Bride until she has demonstrated the Gospel of the Kingdom
to all the nations of the earth. Until the church can demonstrate
the alternative Kingdom, Jesus cannot come again. God no
longer has the authority to send Christ back to earth, because
He will not circumvent His eternal plan. While no man knows
the day or the hour, I can say with the authority of God
that CHRIST CANNOT AND WILL NOT COME BACK UNTIL WE HAVE DEMONSTRATED
THE GOSPEL OF THE KINGDOM TO THE NATIONS OF THE EARTH. That
task demands a mature church, which will have become an alternative
to the kingdoms of the world. THAT IS WHAT THE CHURCH IS
ALL ABOUT AND JESUS CHRIST'S RETURN IS UP TO US."7 [Emphasis
Paulk's.]
If we read Paulk's statement closely, we'll see that he believes
God no longer has the authority to send Christ back to earth,
but that "Christ's return is up to us."
So, God has taken control out of His own hands and placed
it into ours. Now, it's true that "He will not circumvent His
eternal plan."
But He has revealed in His Word the manner in which He will
accomplish His eternal plan. Contrary to Paulk, God's eternal
plan is not that the Church will take dominion on its own,
but merely that the earth will be redeemed.
Many of the details of that redemption have not been revealed,
but in order for the dominion concept to apply, one must spiritualize
what he believes the Word says rather than take it literally.
What it does say is that God's plan of redemption includes
Jesus' return to establish the visible Kingdom before the creation
of the new heaven and new earth (Revelation 20:2-21:5).
Paulk has misread God's eternal plan by spiritualizing Matthew
24:14, which simply states, "And this gospel of the kingdom
shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations;
and then shall the end come."
It's one thing to preach the gospel of the kingdom; it's quite
another thing to institute - or demonstrate - the kingdom.
There is only one Gospel: the Gospel of salvation through faith
in Jesus Christ. Within that Gospel is the "gospel" (good news)
that Christ is coming again to establish His visible earthly
reign. That is the "gospel of the kingdom" we are commanded
to preach, not this counterfeit Dominion Theology which exalts
man above what God intended.
GARY NORTH (Reconstructionist author and publisher):
"The eschatology of dominion has once again revived, as
it has not since the period of the American Revolution....This
is not the end of the world. The Church is not about to be
raptured. The humanists, occultists, and New Agers are about
to see their world ruptured. This process could be delayed
by God's external judgment on the West, but it cannot be
delayed until Christ's return in final judgment. It will
happen long before Christ returns in glory." (8)
North is among the most visible Reconstructionists and is,
in his words, "one of the two primary publishers of dominion
theology" (9) (Dominion Press, Tyler Texas). It is North's
belief that David Chilton's 'Paradise Restored' is the most
definitive, virtually irrefutable, book on dominion eschatology".
"Dominion theology is the wave of the future. David Chilton
has written the two primary eschatological manifestos of
dominion theology. Whoever comes after him will inevitably
be labeled a 'me, too' postmillennialist. Chilton has established
the terms of the debate over eschatology for the next hundred
years, at the very least." (10)
This is quite a claim. Obviously North is convinced that no
one will be able to challenge Chilton's dominion eschatology
in our lifetime. But the question is, if it can be challenged
at all - one hundred years, or one thousand years from now
- why must we accept it today? Had North said that Chilton
has established the terms of the debate once and for all, I'd
be impressed. Better for his position had he not qualified
it. As much as some don't like to admit it, there is a debate
going on.
The Reconstructionists comprise the intellectual arm of Dominion
Theology, being more grounded in the study of theology than
are their charismatic counterparts. As such, the Reconstructionists'
arguments are the most viable. And since one of the major publishers
of Dominion Theology has established that David Chilton is
'the' voice for dominion eschatology, this writing would be
incomplete without noting Chilton's position on dominion.
DAVID CHILTON (Reconstructionist author):
Quoting Matthew 5:13-16, Chilton says:
"This is nothing less than a mandate for the complete social
transformation of the entire world. And what Jesus condemns
is 'ineffectiveness', failing to change the society around
us. We are commanded to live in such a way that someday all
men will glorify God - that they will become converted to
the Christian faith. The point is that if the Church is obedient,
the people and nations of the world will be discipled to
Christianity. We all know that everyone 'should' be a Christian,
that the laws and institutions of all nations 'should' follow
the Bible's blueprints. But the Bible tells us more than
that. The Bible tells us that these commands are the shape
of the future. We 'must' change the world; and what is more,
we 'shall' change the world." (11)
Matthew 5:13-16 is hardly "a mandate for the complete social
transformation of the entire world." It is a mandate, yes,
but it is a mandate that requires no more than that all Christians
exhibit in their lives the reality of their faith in Christ.
As a result of our witness many will be saved and brought
into the Kingdom of God. But there is no mention of the social
transformation of any nation let alone the entire world. Scripture
tells us that, when Christ returns the nations will be arrayed
against Him, not waiting to welcome Him (Revelation 16:14;
19:19).
Whether anti-Christ is a man or a system (as proposed by dominion
teachers), the fact remains that, when Jesus returns, the world
will be under the rule of anti-Christ, not under the rule of
the Church.
What Chilton has done in spiritualizing Matthew 5:13-16 is
hardly academically honest. In waxing eloquent for his eschatological
bias he often makes a point of accusing those with whom he
disagrees of making Scripture say what they want it to say.
Has he not done the same?
In quoting Matthew 28:19-20, Chilton goes against another
of his own rules in assuming that nations, not just people,
are to be discipled:
"The Great Commission to the Church does not end with simply
'witnessing' to the nations. Christ's command is that we
'disciple' the nations - 'all' the nations. The kingdoms
of the world are to become the kingdoms of Christ. They are
to be discipled, made obedient to the faith. This means that
every aspect of life throughout the world is to be brought
under the lordship of Jesus Christ: families, individuals,
business, science, agriculture, the arts, law, education,
economics, phychology, philosophy, and every other sphere
of human activity. Nothing may be left out. Christ 'must
reign, until He has put all enemies under His feet' (I Cor.15:25).
We have been given the responsibility of converting the entire
world." (12)
One point Chilton makes over and again in his book is that
literalism is secondary to consistent biblical imagery. In
this instance he goes against his own rule. To "disciple all
the nations," or, "make disciples of [out of] all the nations,"
does not mean that every nation as a whole is one day going
to sit at the feet of the Reconstructionist gurus and learn
the ways of Truth.
The Great Commission requires us to go into all the nations
and disciple "whosoever will" be saved. Using Chilton's exegetical
rule, if this "mandate" encompasses all the nations as saved
entities, it must encompass all believers as missionaries to
foreign lands. After all, is the Lord not speaking to each
of us as individuals? If Chilton's reasoning is good for Matthew
28:19-20, it must be good for Matthew 24:9: "...ye shall be
hated of all nations for my name's sake."
Therefore, everyone in every nation will hate all Christians.
Ergo, no one will ever be converted. At least Chilton does
see the need for the Church to clean its own house before attempting
so grand a task as discipling the entire world.
"...Our goal is world dominion under Christ's lordship,
a 'world takeover' if you will; but our strategy begins with
the reformation and reconstruction of the Church. From that
will flow social and political reconstruction, indeed a flowering
of Christian civilization (Hag.1:1-15; 2:6-10, 18-23." (13)
Chilton correctly points out that postmillennialism has been
a dominant theme in Church history. But it is not Scripture
he uses to support that eschatological viewpoint as much as
he uses the writings of the early Church "fathers" (Augustine,
Athanasius, etc.), and some recent sources such as C.H. Spurgeon.
But what Chilton fails to recognize is that those early Church
"fathers" were products of a religious system already sliding
into apostasy.
It was the Roman Catholic Church that first attempted to take
dominion over the governments of the earth. It succeeded to
some degree, in that Western civilization came under its control.
But in order to establish and maintain control the Roman Church
had to acquiesce to pagan cultures. The result was that, although
the Gospel (as much as was allowed under Romanism) did bring
a measure of enlightenment, the Church itself suffered corruption
and became paganized. This affected not only its liturgy but
its doctrinal postion in some crucial areas.
Yet even to achieve the modicum of success it enjoyed in establishing
its compromising rule, the Roman Church had to resort to bloodshed
not only through the fomenting of wars, but through pogroms
against dissenters such as took place in the Inquisitions.
Failing to learn from history, Chilton (an alleged historian)
has also failed to understand that there are varying points
of view even among premillennialists. He lumps all under the
mantel of "dispensationalism," and accuses of being a defeatist
anyone who doesn't hold the postmillennialist viewpoint:
"The eschatological issue centers on one fundamental point:
Will the gospel succeed in its mission, or not? Regardless
of their numerous individual differences, the various defeatist
schools of thought are solidly lined up together on one major
point: 'The gospel of Jesus Christ will fail.' Christianity
will not be successful in its worldwide task. Christ's Great
Commission to disciple the nations will not be carried out."(14)
"...A good deal of modern Rapturism should be recognized
for what it really is: a dangerous error that is teaching
God's people to expect defeat instead of victory."(15)
I take umbrage at Chilton's lack of intellectual integrity.
It is patently ridiculous to accuse any Christian of believing
that "the gospel of Jesus Christ will fail."
Every premillennialist I know expects victory, including Hal
Lindsey (whom Chilton takes special delight in denigrating).
I don't agree with Lindsey on several points, but no one can
accuse him - or myself for that matter - of having a defeatist
attitude. Were that true, Hal would not be writing books with
evangelistic themes, and Media Spotlight would not exist.
The trouble with Reconstructionists (indeed the entire dominion
mindset) is that they don't do their homework. Otherwise they
wouldn't lump all premillenialists into one grab-bag of escapism.
Another problem is that they see as defeat anything less than
domination of the world system before Jesus returns. This is
not spiritual-mindedness, but carnal-mindedness, even when
based on the assumption that the transformation of society
will result from the changing of men's hearts through the Gospel.
We are not called to "win the world for Christ." We are called
to be witnesses for Him. It is the Holy Spirit that draws men
to God as we share the Word about Christ (Romans 10:17). To
think that the Church or the Holy Spirit will have failed bacause
the whole world isn't converted would be the same as to think
we've failed because every person who hears the Gospel doesn't
fall on his or her face in repentance.
What's the difference if not everyone at a given moment is
converted, or anyone throughout history is not converted.
Somewhere, according to Dominion Theology, the Holy Spirit
has failed, or the Church has failed. "But," some would say,
"we don't expect every person to be converted; we just want
to make sure their lives are conformed to Christian principles."
Well, if not every person is converted, we will have less than
total dominion, even if we can control their activities. The
Holy Spirit will have failed just as He has "failed" to convert
everyone who has ever lived.
And as long as there are unconverted souls, the privilege
to run society will be challenged. Ultimately there will be
confrontation and the need to apply force to maintain control.
Bloodshed and corruption (yes, even among "Christians") will
be an ongoing result of religious domination.
Even if we were to succeed in converting every soul and ruling
society under God's spiritual direction, within two generations
at the most, the rebellious nature of those to be born will
manifest itself.
Without the visible, tangible presence of Jesus and His 'resurrected'
saints administering the Kingdom of God on earth, the world
will be at the mercy of arrogant, religious autocrats whose
own peculiar understanding of "God's will" will keep us under
bondage.
PAT ROBERTSON (Founder and President of CBN:
Pat Robertson is careful about revealing his belief in Dominion
Theology. Robertson believes in a literal rapture of the saints,
but not until there has been a great revival that will result
in a godly society run by the Church. In his keynote address
to the Dallas '84 convention for Maranatha Campus Ministries,
Robertson made reference to the late John Lennon's song, 'Imagine,'
in which Lennon imagined a world of peace wherein there was
no religion to engender strife. Paraphrasing Lennon, Robertson
said:
"Imagine a world when no more little babies are slaughtered
in the womb.
"Imagine a world where there are no more homes torn apart
because of alcoholism.
"Imagine a world where there are no more young men and young
women spaced out and glassy-eyed on account of drugs.
"Imagine a world when there are no more crime lords selling
prostitutes, selling pornography, selling gambling devices,
selling drugs, and stealing from legitimate business.
"Imagine a world where nobody hates anybody any longer, where
there is no more fighting and no more killing.
"Imagine a world where you can walk down the streets of the
city - or any city - safely at any hour of the day or night
wihout fear of your life.
"Imagine a world where there are no more dead bolts, and
chains, and locks, and bars over windows.
"Imagine a world where there are no more prisons - where
there's no more violence.
"Imagine a world where men and women [are] married in holiness
and godliness, and women were not being used as cheap, exploitive
[sic], devices to satisfy the lust of men. And imagine a
world where there was no more perversion, and homosexuality,
and lesbianism, but men and women functioned as God made
them, where they brought up their children together in love,
where there was no more divorce, and where little children
knew who their mothers and fathers were.
"Imagine a world where the Word of God was honored and people
said, 'This is the answer to life's problems.' Hallelujah!
"And Imagine a world where those who brought that book, and
those who had the message of Jesus, were the honored representatives
of society where men and women said, 'Welcome into our community;
you have come with the Word of God.'
"Now you say, 'That sounds like the Millennium.' Well maybe
some of it does, but some of it we're going to see." (16)
What Robertson described is a utopian society based on peace
and love. He evidently fails to understand that no such society
can exist as long as men live in corruptible flesh. By saying
that "some of it we're going to see," he infers that some,
if not all, of these scenarios are possible in present society.
Yet there is not a single one that is possible given mankind's
sin nature - unless ninety-eight percent of the human population
were wiped out, leaving only conscientious Christians and some
moral unbelievers, or there was instituted a police state of
greater magnitude than that of the Soviet Union.
Even during the Millennium, with Jesus reigning in person,
there will be those who rebel against His laws. That is why
He must rule them with a rod of iron (Revelation 2:27). There
cannot be, nor will there be, anything like a perfect society
until only the saints of God in their resurrected bodies occupy
the earth. That will take place after the Millennium and during
eternity in the new heaven and new earth (Revelation 21).
If Scripture does not promise any such society before then,
what hope is there that, under the fallible rule of supposed
"overcomers," even a substantial portion of sinful humanity
will live righteously, voluntarily or otherwise?
Robertson's error lies in his applying to the Church certain
Old Testament Scriptures that promise the restoration of Israel
out of captivity. He also believes that there is a raising
of human consciousness toward righteousness in Christ.
That belief, based upon a Gallup Poll commissioned by CBN,
reveals a lamentable naivete for one some believe astute enough
to hold the highest office in the land:
"George Gallup discovered that something happened in America
about four or five years ago. Because we said, 'We want you
to go back and survey people and find out the difference
of their attitudes today versus 1979 about religious matters.'
"George Gallup went to the campuses of America. He surveyed
with extremely accurate testing methods the attitudes of
college students on the campuses of America. Fifty percent
of those on the college campuses said, 'We are more religious
today than we were five years ago.'
"Of the general population, sixty percent of the people
in America said, 'We are more willing to accept religious
solutions to life than we were five years ago; we are more
religiously inclined than we were five years ago; we are
looking for answers from God more than we were five years
ago; we are turning away from science, from humanism, from
materialism, and we're saying, 'God, you've got to have an
answer'."
"Now that's what America told Gallup and he in turn told
us. Now what does that mean? Well what it means is we are
on the verge of one of the greatest spiritual explosions
in the United States that this world has ever known. That's
what it means. "It means that millions and millions of people
are open to Jesus Christ." (17)
All Gallup's poll really means is that people in the United
States are becoming more religious. What does religiosity have
to do with Jesus? In fact, the religious entities enjoying
the largest surge of interest are those commonly associated
with the New Age Movement. These include the entire spectrum
of occultism from witchcraft to the human potential programs
of EST, TM, Eckankar, and Summit, to the eastern religions
of Buddhism and Hinduism, and even most schools of modern psychology.
While a later poll by Gallup found that there definitely is
an inrease in the number of people in the United States who
profess to be "born again," their answers to questions about
their lifestyles revealed that their values are just as worldly
as the rest of society.(18)
This is borne out by Pat Robertson's own attitude about how
his CBN Bible, 'The Book,' was advertised when it first came
out in 1984:
"At the end of September we're going to start perhaps the
biggest advertising blitz for this particular product that's
ever been put behind any book in history. And we've even
got guys like Bubba Smith to stand there and say, 'I read
'The Book'!'...And Donna Summers, and a couple of the stars
from 'Dallas,' and one of them from 'Dynasty,' and all these
are going to say, 'We read 'The Book'!' "And reading the
Bible, in America, may get to be one of the most 'in,' important
things people do."(19)
It seems not a little incongruous that people who represent
some of the most ungodly media productions are used by Robertson
to sell Bibles in the interest of converting society from ungodliness.
Robertson also believes that, in this present age, the wealth
of the world will be turned over to God's people, along with
the responsibility of ruling society:
"Somebody has got to sew some tents together, and sew some
nets together, and get the literature together, and all the
things that are needed to handle 400 million to a billion
souls that are going to be saved in the next few years! I
mean, it's a staggering task and God's going to give it to
us! Someone has got to train the future leaders of this world,
because God is going to put us in positions of responsibility.
"Let me ask you this question: Assume that the Lord took
away from the governments of this city, this state, other
states, the nation, all the ungodly and the sinners. Assume
they were just taken away. What would happen then if He said
to His people, 'Go in; it's yours'? "I don't know how to
run a sewage system - do you? How do you run these things?
What do you do with a tax policy? What's the foreign policy
of the United States, or of a state? How do you handle the
various taxes and imports and duties? How do you run the
various social welfare and social service operations? What
about the welfare of great numbers of people? What about
the major educational programs? "And you could go on, and
on, and on, and on. God's people have got to be ready for
what He's going to do. It's one thing to sit here and say,
'Hallelujah! There's going to be a revival!' But what are
you going to do when it comes?
"...There has to be preparation; there has got to be training.
There has to be a teacher corps ready to train young converts
in the Lord. If you want to concentrate on something while
your're here, concentrate on the plan you're going to have
for the next five years. What's going to happen when all
these things that we talk about take place? We will see them
happen!" (20)
You mean there are going to be taxes in the utopian society?
And social welfare? Obviously Pat wasn't talking about the
Millennium. So the question arises as to how God is going to
remove the "ungodly and the sinners" to the point where we
will have a perfect society before Jesus returns.
It should be of concern that anyone would believe that a godly
society could be established among unregenerate mankind to
the degree that there would not even be a need for prisons.
Will human nature change? Not likely. Evil is not only manifested
outwardly through crime and immorality; it is primarily manifested
inwardly through the thoughts and intents of the heart (Jeremiah
17:9).
Robertson believes that revival will change the hearts of
mankind to the degree that godliness will prevail upon the
whole earth. Scripture tells us that toward the end of this
age the love of many will grow cold because sin will abound
(Matthew 24:12).
While we know that "the wealth of the sinner is laid up for
the just" (Proverbs 13:22), it is not a given that we will
take over the world before Jesus returns. Though we may point
to isolated testimonies of inheritance from sinners, we will
not inherit the earth in its totality until after we stand
before Jesus to receive our rewards for deeds done in the flesh
(Romans 2:6; II Corinthians 5:10).
Yet Robertson believes that Jesus will not return until after
the Church has taken control of society and judgment has come
upon the ungodly. In the meantime, we are to prepare ourselves
to take dominion:
"...Now what do you do? What do I do? What do all of us
do? We get ready to take dominion! We get ready to take dominion!
It is all going to be ours - I'm talking about all of it.
Everything that you would say is a good part of the secular
world. Every means of communication, the news, the television,
the radio, the cinema, the arts, the government, the finance
- it's going to be ours! God's going to give it to His people.
We should prepare to reign and rule with Jesus Christ." (21)
At this point Pat called for preparation to begin with prayer,
after which he led the Maranatha Campus Ministries Convention
in a prayer for revival as a prelude to taking dominion.
Obviously Pat wasn't talking about the new heaven and the
new earth when he said everything that is "a good part of the
secular world" would be ours. He was speaking of taking dominion
before Christ returns.
This is borne out by his reference to the "good" part of the
secular world. There will be no secular world in the new earth.
Nor, for all practical purposes, will there be a secular world
during the Millennium, at least in terms of government, since
the government will be administered under the direct, visible
kingship of Jesus.
Why, if the Church is going to have dominion, Jesus would
catch us up to meet Him in the air, is unclear. Are we just
going to go up for a moment and come right back down? That
would fit the scenario of some dominion teachings. If not,
what will happen to society while we're absent during our celestial
vacation? Would it be turned back over to some remnant of the
ungodly that remains?
The inconsistencies in Robertson's eschatology are even recognized
by Gary North, one of the leading advocates of Dominion Theology.
Referring to the effect of David Chilton's 'Paradise Restored'
upon television ministers, North says of Pat Robertson,
"Pat Robertson was so concerned that his evangelist peers
might think that he had switched to Chilton's version of
postmillennialism that he wrote a personal letter to many
of them (including one to me) in the summer of 1986 that
stated that he had not adopted Chilton's theology. He mentioned
'Paradise Restored' specifically. Then he outlined his own
views, in which, as a premillennialist, he somehow completely
neglected to mention the Great Tribulation. That a doctrine
so crucial to premillennial dispensationalism as the Great
Tribulation could disappear from his theology indicates the
effect that Chilton (or someone) has had on his thinking....
"...The change in Pat Robertson's thinking (and the thinking
of many premillennialists) had begun several years before
'Paradise Restored' appeared. Rev. Jimmy Swaggart begins
a highly critical article against 'kingdom now' theology,
including Pat Robertson's version, with a lengthy excerpt
from a speech given by Rev. Robertson on Robert Tilton's
Satellite Network Seminar on December 9-12, 1984. This was
several months before I handed Rev. Robertson a copy of 'Paradise
Restored,' and about a month before the first edition of
the book was published. He had already made the switch away
from traditional dispensationalism."22 "Pat Robertson has
presented a message so completely postmillennial in its tone
that it is difficult to understand why he continues to insist
that he is still a premillennialist. I have never seen a
public pronouncement of any postmillennialist that is more
detailed in its description of a coming era of external blessings.
I know of none who thinks it is coming in the next few years,
but Pat Robertson did, in late 1984." (23)
I have no doubt that those who believe the scenario set forth
by Robertson are sincere in their desire to see God's righteousness
prevail on earth. But danger lies in expecting more than God's
Word promises. Jesus said that in this world we would have
tribulation; yet we are to be of good cheer because He has
already overcome the world (John 16:33). Eventually, when God
ordains it, the earth will be ours as joint heirs with Christ.
Until then we should not try to take for ourselves what He
has not ordained for us to take. God allows evil to exist in
the world, and it will continue to exist, if for no other reason
than to test the hearts of men. He is the final arbiter of
when evil will be done away with once and for all.
FIVE-FOLD MINSTRY
Those whose teachings center on or are substantially concerned
with the five-fold ministries (Ephesians 2:20; 4:11) as the
foundation for our faith are convinced that there can be no
unity in the Body of Christ until all Christians, or at least
a vast majority of us, submit to the authority of the present-day
"apostles" and "prophets" without questioning.
There is to be no judging of doctrine, or of personal lifestyles,
or of fund-raising methods. There is to be no attempt to understand
the Word of God apart from the teachings of the apostles and
prophets.
The "five-fold Ministries" teaching as it is interpreted within
Dominion Theology is specifically a Manifested Sons of God
teaching. It states that the apostles, prophets, evangelists,
pastors, and teachers (not Jesus) comprise the foundation of
the Church. It is affirmed that Jesus is the foundation of
creation, but not of the Church.
Before we examine the Dominion Theology position on this subject,
we should put Ephesians 2:20 within the context it was written
in order to rightly divide the Word of Truth.
"Wherefore remember, that ye being time past Gentiles in
the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is
called Circumcision in the flesh made by hands;
"That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from
the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants
of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:
"But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are
made nigh by the blood of Christ.
"For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken
down the middle wall of partition between us;
"Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of
commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself
of twain one new man, so making peace;
"And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by
the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:
"And came and preached peace to you which were afar off,
and to them that were nigh.
"For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the
Father.
"Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners but
fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of
God;
"And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets,
Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;
"In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto
an holy temple in the Lord:
"In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of
God through The Spirit" (Ephesians 2:11-22).
Hearing Ephesians 2:20 taken out of context, one might fall
prey to the teaching that the "five-fold ministries" as enumerated
in Ephesians 4:11 comprise the foundation of the Church.
But let's examine exactly what Paul was saying in Ephesians
2:11-22.
In the first place, we see that it is not the so-called "five-fold"
ministries to which Paul assigned the status of "foundation,"
but rather the offices of apostle and prophet only. Because
these offices are mentioned in Ephesians 4:11 in connection
with those of evangelists, and pastor-teachers (the latter
being one, not two distinct offices), doesn't necessarily mean
that the evangelists and pastor-teachers are numbered in the
foundation.
In the second place, if we put Ephesians 2:2 in the context
of the thought expressed in verses 11 through 22, we see that
Paul was specifically addressing the Gentiles at Ephesus regarding
their being joined in one body with the Jews through whom came
the revelation of God's Truth. Having been grafted into the
true faith (Christianity) which is the continuation of God's
revelation through the prophets who preceded Christ, not something
distinct from it, the Gentiles were built upon the foundation
of the apostles (New Testament) and prophets (Old Testament)
combined.
In other words, the teachings of the apostles and prophets,
the Spirit and the Law, comprise the foundation through which
the believing Gentiles (the Uncircumcision) are joined with
the believing Jews (the Circumcision). As the Cornerstone of
that foundation of teachings, Jesus is the element that holds
all truth together, and to whom we look for all guidance through
the Holy Spirit.
To take a single verse out of Scripture and build a doctrine
as serious in its consequences as that of the "five-fold ministries"
of Dominion Theology is contrary to even the most basic principles
of biblical exegesis.
This error is compounded by the suggestion that today's so-called
apostles and prophets are the foundation for the Church. If
anything, the Lord's apostles would be the ones spoken of since
it was through them that He gave His revelation contained in
the written Scriptures known as the New Testament.
By equating today's teachers with the early apostles, we open
ourselves up to their new revelations, many of which are not
based on God's Word, but are totally subjective. Certainly
such subjective teachings can be recognized by the fact that
they are learned from certain people and propagated apart from
independent study of the Bible.
The "five-fold ministries" doctrine is one such that is parroted
by dominion teachers who have not learned it from Scripture,
but from others who have learned it from others, ad infinitum.
We have been able to trace it back to Franklin Hall, but that's
not to say that it doesn't go back to an earlier teacher.
We will look now at a few who propagate this particular doctrine
to see how it fits into the overall scheme of Dominion Theology.
EARL PAULK:
"That's what we're doing as the five-fold ministry - the
apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers -
is equipping the saints, maturing the Body of Christ. But
see, even that frightens us because we say we've got pastors,
we've got evangelists - we talk about apostles and prophets,
we get afraid. And yet they've got to come back with authority
and power.
"Ephesians 2:20 says the Church is built not on Jesus (a
lot of folk don't know that), but it's built on the apostles
and prophets, and Jesus Christ being the chief cornerstone.
He's the cornerstone, but the apostles and the ministry of
the prophets is [sic] the foundation.
"What God is doing today is raising up prophets. I don't
have any doubt in my mind that Oral Roberts is a prophet
to the Church to bring us back to the healings. "Many of
them - Branham and many others - I believe that the Hagins
and the Copelands, we have varying doctrines here, but I
believe they brought us back to understanding the power in
God's Word. They were apostles toward that. I believe there
are other apostles and prophets God is raising up." (24)
If we apply any formula for consistency to Paulk's words,
we would have to assume that Jesus has taken a minor role in
the governing of His Church. The following statement, taken
with the understanding that Paulk considers not Jesus, but
the apostles and prophets, to be the foundation of the Church,
removes Jesus from the position of the Rock upon which the
Church is built (Matthew 16:18), and assigns that position
to the five-fold ministries.
"THE FOURTH ISSUE AT STAKE IS THE TRUE UNITY WITHIN THE
BODY OF CHRIST. To build upon anything less than the true
Rock, the only lasting foundation, would be only to see the
entire building fall. Paul made it clear that the Cornerstone
had been 'rejected by the builders.' The only solution was
to bring forth new builders - whom Paul defined as apostles,
prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers - to build up
a people fitly joined together whose head is Jesus Christ
Himself. We are further given the warnings as to how we build
on this foundation. To talk of unity without truth is to
build with wood, hay and stubble (I Corithians 3)." (25)
[Emphasis Paulk's.]
Some logical, deductive reasoning would assume that Paulk
is calling the five-fold ministries the Rock of our salvation:
Jesus is not the foundation, He is the Cornerstone; the five-fold
ministries comprise the foundation; the Rock is the only lasting
foundation; ergo, the Rock is the five-fold ministries. In
all fairness to Paulk, I don't believe he has fully thought
out the implications of his statements. They reflect a carelessness
in the bandying about of terms that cause confusion.
During a 'Praise The Lord' program on TBN in July, 1987, Paulk
was callenged by Hal Lindsey regarding some serious errors
in his teachings. Paulk denied believing what was written in
his own books. He suggested that Hal wasn't able to perceive
the true meanings of those writings because people who do not
have the Spirit of God (i.e., non-charismatics) cannot understand
the things that can only be spiritually discerned.
In other words, Paulk placed his own writings on a level equal
to Scripture, while limiting spiritual understanding of his
esoteric teachings to charismatics. Such statements hinder
greatly our attempts to bring unity to the Body of Christ.
ROYAL CRONQUIST
(Former apostle of John Robert Steven's Living Word Church,
headquarters for the Manifested Sons of God):
Cronquist, though having left the covering of John Robert
Stevens, continues to maintain most of the Manifested Sons
of God doctrines. His interpretation of Ephesians 2:20 is classical
manifested Sons of God:
"...Who is the foundation? The apostles and prophets. Is
Jesus Christ the foundation? No. He is the foundation of
all things, but literally, to the church, He is the cornerstone,
and upon Him come the foundation of the apostles and prophets
to put the foundation of all doctrine, of all revelation,
of all experience, of all truth, of all anointing, of all
authority, of all power, not only upon, but under all the
people of God." (26)
Cronquist does say that upon Jesus "come the foundation of
the apostles and prophets." Certainly we can find no fault
with that order. As is the case with dominion teachers, however,
he assigns to the latter-day apostles and prophets powers beyond
those assigned by God's Word. He believes that the apostles
and prophets are not only the foundation of our very lives,
he also believes that they create God's will for our lives:
"...The whole purpose of the foundational ministry, and
especially the foundational ministry, is to equip you in
a very private, particular way to inform, to undergird, to
strengthen, to encourage, to qualify, to create the will
of God for your life. Can you imagine how the body of Christ
is still in the baby infancy stage, because they have really
denied the foundation that is to their lives, and if they
deny the foundation of their life, there is no way that the
foundation can be built within them." (27)
Cronquist errs in suggesting that the five-fold ministry is
"the foundation of their life." Those in whom God has placed
responsibility to build up the saints and bring them to maturity
are to be honored and obeyed insofar as they teach and practice
truth. But Jesus is the only foundation of not only our spiritual
lives, but it is to Him that we owe our very being and substance
(Acts 17:28).
And how can the apostles and prophets "create the will of
God" for our lives? Only through total submission of our minds
and wills to theirs will we be made to believe that they are
ordained by God to direct our every move.
While submission to authority in the Body of Christ is of
great importance, it is within the local body that that submission
must take place, and only to the degree that that authority
operates in conformity to God's Word.
It is only in the local body that anyone ministering the prophetic
gifts or administering authority can know enough about the
believer to guide him. But the dominion people want us to believe
that there are apostles and prophets at large who are coming
on the scene with new revelations to which every believer must
adhere without question.
There is no accountability of these apostles and prophets
to the Church, but only to one another. This very subjective
authority must be taken on faith by the individual at the risk
of his being deceived.
"...And so we are going to have to be willing to let our
mind be changed by the Holy Spirit in the way that we think
and the way we under- stand. He did promise that 'albeit
when He, the Spirit of Truth is come, He will guide you into
all truth.' In 2,000 years no one has ever been guided into
all truth. Why? The only thing I can think of - and I don't
know everything yet because I haven't yet become glorified,
but I believe that God is now beginning to remove the seals
from the secrets that have been hid from the foundation of
the world. I believe that He is now going to begin to reveal
unto the holy apostles and prophets the foundation of the
kingdom that will unfold the truths of God to His people
so that they can literally become the very divine substance
of Jesus Christ in their spirit, soul, heart, mind, and body."
(28)
According to Cronquist the Holy Spirit did not guide the
writers of the Scriptures into all the truth necessary for
the maturing of the saints. Evidently God planned that, for
2,000 years, the Church would walk in dark- ness, unable to
grasp the truths necessary to conform them into the image of
Christ. But what do the Scriptures say?
"For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be
conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn
among many brethren.
"Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called,
and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified,
them he also glorified.
"What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us,
who can be against us?
"He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for
us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all
things?
"Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It
is God that justifieth" (Romans 8:29-33). "But evil men and
seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being
deceived.
"But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned
and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou has learned
them;
"And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures,
which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith
which is in Christ Jesus.
"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable
for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction
in righteousness:
"That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished
unto all good works" (II Timothy 3:13-17).
It is not the apostles and prophets who are going to perfect
us (bring us to maturity). The Word of God, working on our
hearts through the power of the Holy Spirit, will bring us
to maturity as we submit ourselves in love to God.
All any apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, or teacher can
legiti mately do is point us to the Word of God and encourage
us to follow its directives with pure motives. There are no
new revelations by which we must be saved or grow to maturity.
Now, however, we are asked to believe that men who cannot
rightly divide the Word of Truth where its meaning is obvious
even to the babe in Christ, are going to give us "new truths"
by which they will direct our paths toward perfection.
What Cronquist means by saying we will become "the very divine
substance of Jesus Christ" is not clear. But this statement
fits the theory of the deification of man held by many dominion
proponents. How will we achieve this? Cronquist says,
"...You therefore shall be complete, even as your heavenly
Father is complete. How do you suppose that is going to be
done? It's going to be done by holy apostles, prophets, evangelists,
pastors, and teachers who become the experience themselves,
who equip you with the experience that they have, who give
you the rules, the laws, the ways, and the how-tos to literally
cooperate with God's Holy Spirit so that it again can be
performed." (29)
The rules and laws by which we exercise our faith are already
established in God's Word (Revelation 22:18-19). Those who
would today burden the Church with new, man-made rules and
laws according to their own experiences are legalists of whom
Paul warned:
"Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain
deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of
the world, and not after Christ. For in him dwelleth all
the fullness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in
him, which is the head of all principality and power" (Colossians
2:8-10).
How are we to recognize who the apostles and prophets are?
Cronquist says our hearts will know:
"The knowledge of a person as a prophet or apostle of God
must be a heart revelation....I could come to you and tell
you that I am an apostle, but that doesn't mean a thing.
Someone else could tell you they are an apostle; that doesn't
mean a thing, but I will only be an apostle to you when you
have heard from God's Holy Spirit that I am an apostle of
God, and if you believe I am a false prophet, to you I would
be a false prophet whether I am or not. As a man thinks in
his heart, so is he." (30)
Roman Catholics believe in their hearts that the Pope is an
apostle of God; Mormons believe their apostles are from God,
as do Jehovah's Witnesses, the Moonies, and every cult that
lays claim to apostles. Our hearts are deceitful above all
things (Jeremiah 17:9). We will believe what we want to believe
unless we have an objective standard of truth to which we are
willing to submit ourselves. The only standard given to us
by God is His Word. And the tests for prophets are found in
Deuteronomy 13:1-5 and 18:22, and in Galatians 1:8.
Who Are The Apostles And Prophets?
Since the late 70s and early 80s there have been increasing
but still vague references within the dominion camp to certain
men as "apostles" or "prophets."
Yet there has been no definitive list from any authoritative
source within that camp as to who currently comprise that august
body.
Nevertheless, there are certain leaders who are increasingly
supportive of each other, and referring to one another as "prophet,"
or "apostle."
Although some are more visible than others, these same leaders
are showing up on the same platforms in varying numbers and
orders. They are on a constant circuit, conducting "leadership
conferences" for pastors from all over the world.
At these leadership conferences the pastors and teachers in
attendance are instructed in the latest methods on how to make
their churches grow, how to take dominion over their cities,
how to institute proper worship and praise in order to move
God, how to work miracles, signs, and wonders, and other things
related to church ministry and administration.
The most comprehensive organization conducting these leadership
conferences is Charismatic Bible Ministries, founded in 1986
by Oral Roberts.
This organization is a coalition of the most visible leaders
in the Charismatic Movement, a large segment of whom fall into
the dominion camp. Although not all the members of Charismatic
Bible Ministries have overtly stated belief in Dominion Theology,
there is certainly no hiding from them the teachings of those
who have.
The officers and trustees of Charismatic Bible Ministries
at the time of this writing are:
Oral Roberts* - Chairman
Ken Copeland* - Secretary
Jack Hayford* - Vice Chmn.
Billy Joe Daugherty* - Treas.
Paul Yonggi Cho - International Honorary Chairman
Charles Green - Executive Committee Member
Marilyn Hickey* - Executive Committee Member
Karl Strader* - Executive Committee Member Trustees:
Jim Ammerman
Freda Lindsay*
Tommy Barnett*
Francis MacNutt
Charles Blair
Ralph Mahoney
Jamie Buckingham*
John Meares*
James Buskirk*
Mike Murdock*
Happy Caldwell*
Charles Nieman
Charles Capps
John Osteen*
Morris Cerullo
Paul E. Paino
Ed Cole
Earl Paulk*
Paul Crouch
Carlton Pearson
Gerald Derstine
Fred Price
Richard Dortch
Tommy Reid*
Ed Dufresne
Evelyn Roberts*
Quentin Edwards
Richard Roberts*
Mike Evans
Roy Sapp
Kenny Foreman
Jerry Savelle*
Gerald Fry
Charles Simpson
John Gimenez*
Carlton Spencer
Kenneth Hagin, Sr.*
Stephen Strang*
Ronald Halvorson
Lester Sumrall*
Buddy Harrison*
Hilton Sutton*
James N. Haynes
Vinson Synan*
Wallace Hickey
Robert Tilton*
Roy Hicks
Larry Tomczak
Benny Hinn
Casey Treat
Charles Hunter
Ron Tucker
Frances Hunter
Tommy Tyson
Dick Iverson
Jeff Walker
Vicki Jamison-Peterson
Paul Walker
G.L. Johnson
Bob Weiner
James E.'Johnny' Johnson
Austin Wilkerson
Larry Lea
Ralph Wilkerson
*Founding Trustees (31)
I cannot stress enough the fact that not everyone involved
with CBM is an advocate of Dominion Theology. If the reader
wants to know where any of these people stand on the subject
I advise that he write and ask them directly.
Of great significance, however, is the fact that fully half
of the founding trustees of Charismatic Bible Ministries openly
profess belief in major aspects of Dominion Theology, as does
approximately the same percentage of the overall members.
In addition, some among them espouse other question- able
doctrines such as the "Jesus died spiritually" heresy. Specifically,
Kenneth Hagin and Kenneth Copeland teach that Jesus died spiritually,
and had to be born again in hell by subjecting Himself to torment
by Satan and his demons. Copeland has gone so far as to say
that we are not saved spiritually by Jesus' death on the cross;
otherwise any righteous man could have died for our sins.(32)
This teaching will be covered in an upcoming Special Report.
I pray that those who espouse it are not consciously aware
that this teaching effectively denies the blood of Christ as
payment for their sins. Several members of CBM have been approached
with information regarding the heretical beliefs of many in
this organization, but none have acknowledged the need to take
a stand for sound doctrine. "Unity at the cost of truth" is
the mindset of many of today's "leaders" in the Church.
PURGING THE EARTH
A sure sign of religious authoritarianism is a zealousness
to rid the world of opposition to its peculiar tenets. In the
minds of many dominion teachers the authority of the apostles
and prophets must not be questioned.
The Kingdom of God (as they understand it) must be free from
dissension. Therefore it will be necessary that those who challenge
their authority be removed. There are differences of opinion
among dominion teachers as to how those dissenters will be
removed, but there are essentially five ways in which that
may occur:
- God will supernaturally strike dead those who oppose His
apostles and prophets;
- God will send, or allow satanic forces to send, plagues
upon those opposers;
- The Church (or certain "overcomers") will pronounce God's
judgment upon their enemies, thus moving God to destroy them;
- The Church will, out of "necessity," use physical force
by which it will judge, sentence, and execute penalties (including
death) upon the opposers;
- All or any combination of the above may take place. According
to some dominion teachers, in order to effect this purging
of the earth the overcomers must attain immortalization,
thus becoming immune to any physical resistance to their
program. Becoming immortal, and thus impervious to death
and injury, will result from having attained spiritual perfection
through obedience to the apostles and prophets. We will deal
with the teachings on immortalization in the next chapter.
The subject matter at hand is the purging by the overcomers
of not only the earth, but of the Church as well.
FRANKLIN HALL
(Pioneer of the Latter Rain Movement): In his book, 'Subdue
the Earth, Rule the Nations,' Hall quotes Revelation 12:5,
and states that the man child of the sun-clothed woman represents
the overcomers of the Church: (32)
"The man-child company will have dominion of this planet
first. Those who possess a house may decide who shall occupy
it. In the same manner, as a group from the church take up
their authority and rulership of the planet that God gave
them, they will likewise be able to choose whom they will,
to occupy it." (33)
"The man-child group of the sons of God will be required
'to rule all nations with a rod of iron' (Revelation 12:5).
To those not accepting this invitation into the Holy Ghost
Light of fire, there is but one alternative: the opposite
to light is DARKNESS. The Light of Life will be to them a
blinding and consuming fire of destruction!" (34)
Hall's fanciful interpretation of Revelation 12:5 is not consistent
with Scripture. While the symbolism of the man child is open
to interpretation (whether he is Jesus, Israel, the Church,
certain overcomers, etc.), the fact remains that the man child
is caught up to Heaven while the woman who gave him birth is
driven into the wilderness.
If the man child is in Heaven while the earth is being purged,
then he cannot rule with a rod of iron until after he returns
to the earth. He cannot exercise dominion prior to his return
which, if he is the Church, will be with Jesus at His return
(Jude 14-15).
ROYAL CRONQUIST:
"...The greatest decision that the church is going to have
to make in these days ahead (and especially the ministries
in the body of Christ) is to have to face that there are
apostles of God, and that they must submit to that foundation
as though it was Jesus Christ, and whoever will not submit
to that authority shall be destroyed from among the people."35
"...Jesus cannot, will not return, until there literally
exists this kind of church, body of Christ. This Church (remnant)
is to be...executing deliverance and judgment, in all authority
and power, to all the people of the earth, first to and in
the Church, then to all the nations of the earth."36
"...The kingdom of God is now ready to appear, now ready
to be literally established in all its fullness within the
earth. The first-fruits people will be counted worthy to
escape the things that are to come to pass upon the earth.
They will have absolute immunity to destruction and death
in any form. Even vengeance and wrath which is about to come,
will not touch them, but they themselves will be the execution
of this vengeance and wrath."37
All I can say is, if some religious attempt to execute God's
vengeance and wrath is to take place, those doing the executing
had better be under the absolute control of the Holy Spirit.
The problem with Cronquist's scenario is that the premise
upon which it is built (immortalization prior to Jesus' return)
is unscriptural. I shudder at the possibilities.
EARL PAULK:
In his book, 'Thrust in the Sickle and Reap,' Paulk quotes
Matthew 13:40-43:
"Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire,
so it will be at the end of this age. The Son of Man will
send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom
all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness,
and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be
wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine
forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has
ears to hear, let him hear!"
Applying his own interpretation that the angels who will
accomplish this task are ministers of the Church, rather than
the angels of heaven, Paulk calls upon God's people to rise
up and judge the kingdoms of this world:
"The book of Revelation makes it clear that John wrote his
letters to the angels of the Church. Who are the angels that
God will use? they are ministers called by God to boldly
proclaim the Word of God. They will sound the trumpet. One
should never separate prophecy of the New Testament from
prophetic Old Testament scriptures. The trumpet sounded in
the Old Testament as a warning. Today the trumpet sounds
from the angels of the Church, God's ministers who cry out,
'It is harvest time!' Witnesses to God's power will shine
as never before. God will gather righteous people together
to raise up a witness of Jesus Christ and judge the kingdoms
of this world." (38)
Paulk goes on immediately to say that the first sign of the
time of harvest is an answer to Jesus' prayer in John 17, "that
they all may be one just as We are one."
Unity aside, the chilling aspect of Paulk's reasoning in these
passages of his book is the realization that he is looking
forward to the day when the "angels" (i.e., ministers of the
Church) will gather out of God's kingdom "all things that offend,
and those who practice lawlessness, and will cast them into
the furnace of fire." I hope I'm misreading his intentions.
JAMES McKEEVER
(Editor and publisher of 'Endtimes News Digest,' author,
lecturer, and financial consultant):
In an article entitled, "When Is The Rapture?" McKeever states
that the Great Tribulation will be a time when God's people
will supernaturally destroy their enemies:
"God is raising up an end-time army of overcomers (bondslaves).
God never raised up an army that ran. So, we need to take
a look at why God is raising up that end-time army.
"Most people do not realize why there is going to be the
great tribulation at the end of this age. Let me see if I
can help you understand. If Christ came back tomorrow morning
to rule and reign on the earth for a thousand years of peace
and joy, what is the first thing He would have to do? He
would have to get rid of all government buildings and employees,
because He is going to be the government. He would have to
get rid of all armies, weapons and factories that build weapons,
because there is not going to be any war while He is here
on the earth during the millennium. He would have to get
rid of the people who do gross evil on the earth, such as
dope pushers and murderers....
"This would be a messy way to begin a thousand-year reign
of peace and joy. Thus, the period of the great tribulation
is when God gets rid of all governments, all armies, all
grossly evil people, and geologically plows up the earth,
so that it is a renewed, refreshed earth, ready for Jesus
Christ to come back to rule and reign for a thousand years....
"When the children of Israel went into the promised land,
God could have caused all the evil inhabitants of the land
to disappear. However, that is not God's pattern. He uses
His people as an army when He wants to get rid of evil people....
"People ask me if I am afraid to go through the tribulation
or if thinking about it makes me gloomy or sad. The exact
opposite is true. I am excited about going through the tribulation,
as a bondslave of God. I am excited about getting His seal
on my forehead and being protected against Satan, because
we know that the victory is ours in Jesus Christ." (39)
Before I comment on Jim's statements, let me make it clear
that I have a personal liking for him. I have in the past recommended
his newsletters and have quoted him in 'Media Spotlight.' He
has done me the same honor. And for the most part I agree with
his teachings.
They contain many useful facts and spiritual truths. Now,
it isn't just a matter of two brothers holding differing opinions
on some minor point. It is crucial to the Church's position
during these end times that it not be misled in its understanding
of the events which are soon to transpire.
In Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Revelation 6 and 7, we see separate
accounts of the same events relating to the Great Tribulation.
I agree with Jim that the Church will go through the Great
Tribulation, but as the first several verses in Revelation
7 point out, when God's wrath is poured out upon the earth,
we will already have been taken up with Jesus into heaven.
The error of most pre- and post-tribulationists is the equating
of God's wrath (the trumpet and vial judgments) with the Great
Tribulation period (the opening of the first six seals). The
Great Tribulation will be a time of chaos upon the earth during
which the Church will be persecuted, and many believers will
be slain for the witness of their testimony. It will be a time
of judgment not upon the earth as much as upon the Church,
which will result in the Church being purified from its spots
and wrinkles (Ephesians 5:27).
The Church, as an organism in which currently reside both
sheep and wolves, will be purged through persecution. Only
those who are truly God's people will stand, and will be driven
out of necessity toward maturity in faith and in deed.
The only servants of God who will be sealed in their foreheads
are the 144,000 members of the twelve tribes of Israel described
in Revelation 7:1. These will be restored when they see their
Messiah (on whom they have not believed until that time) return
in the clouds to receive His Church.
It is important to distinguish, however, that these 144,000
Jews are not necessarily part of national Israel. They will
be a remnant of natural Israel whom God will bless as a witness
of His power to preserve His integrity among those people,
and to honor His covenant with Abraham.
The only other seal to be placed on anyone's forehead will
be that ordered by the false prophet in conjunction with his
command for all men to worship the image of the Beast (Revelation
13).
It isn't my intention to be dogmatic on the subject in this
writing, but merely to point out that the dominion teachers'
interpretation of Revelation is a delusion which will leave
those who believe it unprepared for the troubles that lie ahead.
If, because we believe this error, we are looking forward to
receiving any mark in our foreheads, we may well be set up
for the strong delusion which, if it were possible, would deceive
the very elect (Matthew 24:24; Mark 13:22).
IMMORTALIZATION
If the dominion overcomers are to be God's instruments of
destruction upon not only unbelievers, but believers who do
not submit to the authority of the apostles and prophets as
well, they will need immunity from reprisals.
It is an essential ingredient of Dominion Theology, therefore,
that these overcomers, through their perfect (sinless) living,
attain immortalization and become impervious to injury and
death. That's why it's such a tragedy for someone in the movement
to die - especially someone in a position of dominion leadership.
If God does not count such an one worthy to escape death,
then those close to him must make excuses such as equating
his death with some vicarious suffering for the Body of Christ.
Of the fringe movements in dominion teaching, Positive Confession
is most susceptible to this theory of immortalization. The
believe-it-and-receive-it mentality of Positive Confession
must inevitably result in the belief that if one can muster
enough "faith" to live in "divine health" (which has never
been sufficiently defined), he can also believe for immortality.
Of course, it is believed that this final state of physical
perfection will come about only through the attainment of spiritual
perfection. The reason is that death is the final enemy to
be conquered (I Corinthians 15:26).
EARL PAULK:
"THE FIFTH FUNCTION OF THE CHURCH IS TO CONQUER THE LAST
ENEMY, WHICH IS DEATH, AND TO BRING REDEMPTION TO THE BODY
OF CHRIST. When the Apostle Paul says that redemption has
not yet taken place, he speaks, I believe, of the redemption
of the individual body; yet in my spirit I perceive that
he speaks also of the redemption of the Body of Christ. [Boldface
Paulk's throughout.]
"Jesus Christ Himself overcame death individually, and WHEN
THE CHURCH BECOMES SO CONFORMED TO HIS IMAGE THAT THOSE WHO
DIE DO NOT PASS THROUGH THE GRAVE, BUT BECOME INSTEAD GLORIOUSLY
CHANGED IN THE TWINKLING OF AN EYE, IT WILL BE THAT CHURCH
WHICH WILL BRING THE KINGDOM OF GOD TO PASS ON THE EARTH.
[Paulk then quotes Romans 8:18,22-23, and Ephesians 1:13-14.]
"We have received the earnest of the EXPECTATION through
the baptism of the Holy Spirit, but we must move on to the
POSSESSION, which is overcoming the last enemy, death. Sometimes
the interpretation has been made that Jesus Christ conquered
death, but if that were so, why would Paul's epistle to the
Corinthians, written at least ninety years later, say that
the last enemy that SHALL be destroyed is death (I Corinthians
15:26)? JESUS CHRIST CONQUERED DEATH INDIVIDUALLY, BUT IT
IS LEFT TO THE CHURCH TO CONQUER DEATH ON A CORPORATE BASIS..
"Is it possible that there will be a people who so possess
the authority of Almighty God, as Elijah did, that they,
as a group, will say to death, hell, and the spirit of Satan,
'We will NOT die. We will stay here and be changed, and we
will call Jesus Christ to return to this earth as King of
Kings and Lords of Lords'? Yes, that is what I believe the
church must do! But it will not be easy, because GOD IS LOOKING
FOR THE MANIFESTATION OF A MATURE CHURCH WHO CAN SPEAK WITH
THE AUTHORITY JESUS HAD WHEN HE STILLED THE WINDS AND CALLED
LAZARUS FORTH FROM THE GRAVE. "An exciting prospect? Oh,
yes! We are God's people, called to do the will of God in
the world today and to see the King of Glory return to establish
His Kingdom on earth! Jesus Christ had the authority to say
'No' to death on earth, and He is waiting for us to come
to that same authority He had so we can say, 'The last enemy
- death - has been conquered!' [Paulk then quotes I Corinthians
15:20-26.] "Jesus Christ, as the firstfruit of the Kingdom,
began the work of conquering death on an individual basis,
but we, as His church will be the ones to complete the task.
Jesus said (Matthew 28:18), 'All power is given unto me in
heaven and in earth,' and the church today has that same
power. Death will not be conquered by Jesus returning to
the earth. It will be conquered when the church stands up
boldly and says, 'We have dominion over the earth!' How else
will God be able to show Satan a people for whom death holds
no fear, over whom death no longer has any power? When God
can do that, Satan's hold on us will be broken forever!"
(40)
History shows that true believers don't need to be immortal
to be free from the fear of death. It is 'faith,' not immortality,
that removes fear. I suspect that those who so earnestly desire
immortality that they will twist Scripture to fit that desire
are the ones who really fear death.
So great is that fear that they have deluded themselves into
believing they can overcome death through their own works of
righteousness. This is why so many demonstrate such fervor
toward God. It isn't so much that they fear Him as much as
it is that they fear death and the consequences if they haven't
proven themselves worthy of eternal life.
At the root of much dominion thinking is a works-oriented
salvation rather than a faith-oriented salvation. When immortality
does come it will be after the dead in Christ rise (I Thessalonians
4:13-17; I Corinthians 15:50-55). This immortality unto eternal
life, the hope of our salvation, will occur suddenly and will
take effect throughout the Body of Christ, not just among a
select few "overcomers." It won't occur because we happen to
come to the realization that we can speak it into existence
because of our attainment to holiness through outward works
of righteousness. Such a notion is ridiculous and is contradicted
by Scripture.
Likewise the very Scriptures Paulk quotes contradict his belief
that the Church will destroy death. For verse 26 of I Corinthians
15 says, "For he [Jesus] must reign, till he hath put all enemies
under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death."Jesus,
when He returns (not the Church prior to His return), is the
one who will put all enemies under His feet. He must reign
on earth until that is accomplished.
The context of these verses shows clearly that death will
be destroyed 'after' the Millennium, when Christ "shall have
delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father" (I Corinthians
15:24).
DAVID EBAUGH
(Leading apostle of the Identity Movement):
In a communication to his followers, Ebaugh reprinted a proclamation
by a Rev. Dean Gross entitled "Melchisedec Order Decree," and
offered it free on request to those who would write to his
organization, Word by Word Association. This decree, affirming
belief that the end-time overcomers will be a part of the Melchisedec
Order of priests, states in part:
"In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, through his blood,
fire, water, and Spirit, I receive glory, honor, and immortality
by imparting his now-blood, liquid streams of living light
into my blood. My whole spirit by faith, soul by works, body
by hope is now being preserved blameless until the coming
of the Lord. When I decree a thing, it is established unto
me; and your light shines upon my ways. I decree that the
full manifestation of the Kingdom of God from within me now
come forth. I decree that every atom within my earthly, physical
body bring forth health, light, life, and immortality. My
light is now coming forth as the morning, and my health is
springing forth speedily, and my righteousness goes before
me. Your glory is my rear guard. For I am made in the image
of Elohim, after Elohim's likeness. I have dominion over
the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over
the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping
thing that creepeth upon the earth. I am helping to bring
about the revelation and restoration of all things which
you have spoken by the mouth of all your holy prophets since
the world began." (41)
SAM FIFE
(A leading apostle of the Manifested Sons of God Movement):
In his book, 'One Corporate Man,' Fife states:
"Therefore let all men know, that in this dispensation of
the fulness of times, God is going to fulfill His purpose
to bring together into one, all things that are in Christ,
both in the earth and in heaven, and make of all the twos,
one new many-membered man, who lives after the order of Melchisedec.
When He has finished preparing this many-membered man, He
is going to purge the earth of every other man by His Judgment
Day, and there will come in a new age, and a new earth, with
a new man living in a new order, where every member is so
dead to self that he lives unto the rest of the Body, and
that order shall perpetuate eternal life." (42)
The more we study the Kingdom Now Movement, it becomes increasingly
evident that it's proponents have adopted a pattern of taking
Scriptures relating to entirely different time periods and
applying them to the present age. Much of what is said is true
if placed in proper context relative to the time period for
which it is meant. For that reason, they can quote Scripture
seemingly with authority to prove their hypotheses.
What the immortalization theory fails to explain is how, if
death is the 'final' enemy to be conquered, there will still
be other enemies left to be conquered by those who will have
conquered death? Of all the bizarre elements that make up the
total picture of Dominion Theology, immortalization caters
most to spiritual pride.
When one comes to the place where he believes he can say he
has no sin he will move into an amoral mindset whereby he can
justify any action in the name of God. Earl Paulk gives a clue
to such reasoning by suggesting that whether one sins is dependent
upon his motive.
"...The accusers said to Jesus, 'We have Moses as our father,
and Moses said, Thou shalt not commit adultery.' Jesus replied,
'I believe that too, but let me carry you to a heavenly dimension.
If you don't lust in your heart you cannot commit adultery.'
They said, 'The law says, Thou shalt not kill,' and Jesus
replied, 'I believe that too, but let me speak to your heart.
If you don't hate first, there is no possibility of murder.'
How wise Jesus was!" (43)
This is a perfect example of twisting the meaning of Jesus's
words. While motive does play a role in sin, there are objective
standards instituted by God and revealed in His Word which
cannot be abrogated simply on the basis of one's personal conviction.
If, as so carelessly stated by Paulk, "If you don't hate first,
there is no possibility of murder," then out of a motive of
purifying society, and with a "heavy heart," dominion overcomers
may put dissenters to death at will. Hit men for the mobs don't
necessarily hate their victims - for the most part they're
indifferent to them. Using Paulk's rationale, they are innocent
no matter how many people they kill.
This is a chilling statement that, without clarification,
could possibly cause some neurotics to get "trigger-happy."
There is a strange paradox revealed among some who, on the
one hand denounce the atrocities of Hitler, yet on the other
hand passionately look forward to the day they can "speak the
word" or pull the trigger that will destroy the "sinners" (and
unyielding Christians) they perceive as God's (i.e., their)
enemies.
Yet if the utopian society of the dominion teachers is to
be realized before Jesus returns, a holocaust worse than any
history has ever witnessed must take place. The "holy wars"
of early "Christianity" may yet be revived.
NOTES
- "Harvest Time" (Atlanta: Chapel Hill Harvester Church,
December, 1984), p.15.
- Earl Paulk, 'Held In The Heavens Until...' (Atlanta: K
Dimension Publishers, 1985), p.234.
- Ibid., p.235.
- Earl Paulk, 'Thrust in the Sickle and Reap' (Atlanta:
K Dimension Publishers, 1986), p.73.
- Earl Paulk, 'Form With Power' (Atlanta: K Dimension Publishers,
undated), p.5.
- Ibid., p.4.
- Earl Paulk, 'The Great Escape Theory' (Atlanta: K Dimension
Publishers, undated), p.14.
- Gary North, 'Unholy Spirits' (Fort Worth: Dominion Press,
1986), p.394.
- Gary North, 'Paradise Restored' (Fort Worth: Dominion
Press, 1985), p.339.
- Ibid., p.331.
- David Chilton, 'Paradise Restored,' p.12.
- Ibid., p.213.
- Ibid., p.214.
- Ibid., p.10.
- Ibid., p.53.
- Pat Robertson, speech at Dallas '84, Maranatha Campus
Ministries convention.
- Ibid.
- Orange County 'Register.'
- Pat Robertson, speech at Dallas '84.
- Ibid.
- Ibid.
- Gary North, 'Paradise Restored,' p.328.
- Ibid., p.329.
- Earl Paulk, guest appearance on "Praise The Lord," Trinity
Broadcasting Network, March 4, 1986.
- Earl Paulk, 'The Betrothed' (Atlanta: K Dimension Publishers,
1985), p.7.
- Royal Cronquist, "Your Daily Cross Is Giving Up The Throne
Of Self" (Spokane, WA: Love Ministries), p.3.
- Ibid., p.4.
- Ibid., p.7.
- Ibid., p.6.
- Ibid., p.4.
- Ad for Charismatic Bible Ministries, "Charisma," May,
1987, p.53.
- Franklin Hall, "Subdue The Earth, Rule The Nations" (Phoenix,
AZ: Franklin Hall Ministries, 1966), p.10.
- Ibid., p.11.
- Ibid., p.57.
- Royal Cronquist, p.4.
- Royal Cronquist, "Why the Feast of Tabernacles?", (Spokane,
WA: Love Ministries Newsletter, August, 1984).
- Ibid.
- Earl Paulk, "Thrust in the Sickle and Reap" (Atlanta:
K Dimension Publishers, 1986), p.103,104.
- James McKeever, "When Is The Rapture?", 'End-Times News
Digest,' Special Introductory Issue (Medford, OR: Omega Ministries,
1985), p.8.
- Earl Paulk, "The Proper Function of the Church" (Atlanta:
K Dimension Publishers, undated), p.13.
- Dean Gross, "Melchisedec Order Decree" (Chattanooga, TN:
Word by Word Association).
- Sam Fife, "One Corporate Man" (Miami: The Body of Christ),
p.22.
- Earl Paulk, "Harvest Time," July, 1984.
