This woman kept e-mailing me because I had been searching online for other Christians who have had an earthquake warning similar to mine and she was answering my inquiry. I felt bad because I had initiated contact with her group, but I felt I was being told, “STAY AWAY FROM THEM.” So…I asked myself…..who are “them”?
Dominionism was one of the first end-time deceptions that I became acquainted with. I still really don’t understand all of it because it involves so many different groups of people and it is a system based on change and networking. Yes, change. Chaos even. In fact the more chaos the better. Why? It bands people together, just like 9/11. It makes the people cry, “Do something”. When you see or hear the terms restoration or reformation used in reference to create some kind of change in the church there usually is dominionism behind it.
Here are the names of some movements that need to be questioned and this is an extremely shortened version.
Latter Rain
Joel’s Army/The Manifest Sons of God
The New Apostolic Reformation
The Elijah List
Here is a good description of the Latter Rain movement by Orrel Steinkamp.
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This is from www.ditc.com
Deception in the Church
COMMENTS
by Orrel Steinkamp
The Plumbline contends that the original seedbed of spiritual warfare evangelism can be found in the fertile soil of the Latter Rain. From this seed plot of 50 years ago, many hybrids and mutations have developed.
The Latter Rain originated in a series of revival meetings in 1948 at the Sharon Orphanage and Schools in North Battelford, Sask., Canada. By late 1949 the AOG, in the USA and Canada, declared this movement to be heretical and false.
– A Summary of Latter Rain Teaching –
1. The purpose of the church is to establish on the earth the kingdom of God. The reason the church has failed its mandate, is that early on it lost the offices of Apostle and prophets.
2. In the last days God will restore these offices to lead the church in an endtime holy war and all evil will be defeated.
3. A worldwide revival will break out and the majority of the world will be won to Christ. Signs and wonders will include blessings upon those whom the apostles and prophets bless and cursing upon those whom they curse. Through intense worship and praise (Tabernacle of David) accompanied by prayer, fasting and spiritual warfare the church will defeat all demonic strongholds and territorial spirits upon the earth and in the heavens.
4. Some adherents of the Latter Rain (though by no means all) believe that the second coming of Jesus will occur with a spiritual experience of believers in which believers are incarnated into the body of Christ upon the earth. This body of Christ will rule the nations. Others in the movement saw the church taking dominion over the earth as a prelude to the return of Jesus from heaven to earth.
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The above summary covers a huge arena of false teachings and practices.
JOEL’S ARMY (The Prophetic Message) : “God is raising up an army in the last days to execute judgment and dominion on the Earth”. This is what the false prophets are saying, that the church will become Christ, giving them supernatural abilities (The Manifest Sons of God), to hand out judgment. When this is done then Christ can return to Earth. This completely eliminates the literal “catching away” or “rapture”. Much of this teaching was taken up by present day “apostles” Paul Cain, (who has been disgraced of late by counts of alcoholism and homosexuality), and Mike Bickle, who are continuing in the tradition of the Kansas City Fellowship movement. Bickle is now head of IHOP, International House of Prayer in Kansas City. I have been told that Bickle’s church has been marginalized and is considered a cult by the locals, but he has a program on GOD TV.
Again we see that man is taking on God-like qualities and that man will have to “take over” for Jesus. This is the same Dominion/Kingdom Now error being taught.
THE NEW APOSTOLIC REFORMATION
From a brochure advertising a C. Peter Wagner’s conference.
“The New Apostolic Reformation is an extraordinary work of the Holy Spirit that is changing the shape of Christianity globally. It is truly a new day! The Church is changing. New names! New methods! New worship expressions! The Lord is establishing the foundation of the Church for the new Millennium. This foundation is built upon apostles and prophets. Apostles execute and establish God’s plan on the earth”.
Wagner has also been an aggressive promoter of the Spiritual Warfare movement. The terms “strategic-level intercession”, “territorial spirits and mapping”, “prayerwalking” and “demon power encounter”, can be traced back to Wagner.
Giving the current-day so-called apostles and prophets (the foundation of the new church) the importance of the early apostles, allows them to create a new gospel. Their revelations are pumped out on a regular basis on the Eijah list. Chuck Pierce, Kim Clement, Ryan Wyatt, Bob Jones, Francis Frangipane, and Cindy Jacobs are all contributors and are considered false prophets.
The proposed five-fold ministry is quite interesting. The offices are Apostle – Prophet – Evangelist – Pastor – Teacher. Of course the latter 3 offices are totally controlled by the Apostle – Prophet offices. We are already hearing current leaders referring to each other as “apostles” and “prophets”. It is by this means that the church will be controlled. The church will be told what to believe by the evangelists, pastors, and teachers, who will be dominated by those in authority, who of course will be receiving new “revelations”. Add to this, the concept of small cell churches all reporting and tithing to a “mother” church and you will have a pretty good idea of what the new “spiritual” leaders of the future have in the works for total control and manipulation.
A quote from C. Peter Wagner of Global Harvest Ministries
“Since 2001, the body of Christ has been in the Second Apostolic Age. The apostolic/prophetic goverment of the church is now in place….We began to build our base by locating and identifying with the intercessory prayer movements. This time, however, we feel that God want us to start governmentally, connecting with the apostles of the region. God has already raised up for us a key apostle in one of the strategic nations of the Middle East, and other apostles are already coming on board. Once we have the apostles in place, we will then bring the intercessors and the prophets into the inner circle and we will end up with the spiritual core we need to move ahead for retaking the dominion that is rightfully ours. (11/01/05, Global Link newsletter Global Harvest Ministries, Colorado Springs, Colorado)
Okay….. so who was the “them” that I was warned about?
I was contacted by a regional director of www.latterglory.com a Latter Rain ministry, full of signs and wonders manifestations. Take a look at their website.
Their featured writer is usually Dutch Sheets who partners with C. Peter Wagner
Dutch Sheets is the Senior Pastor of Springs Harvest Fellowship in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where he has pastored for twelve years. He has served on the faculty of Christ for the Nations Institute, now serves as an instructor for Christian Life School of Theology and is a guest lecturer for Wagner Leadership Institute. He serves on many ministry boards and is a best selling author with Regal Books (a division of Gospel Light). He has traveled extensively throughout the United States, Canada, Central America, Africa, Australia, and much of Europe teaching and ministering to the Body of Christ. He is now traveling across America challenging believers for passionate prayer and world-changing revival. |
So as usual, Dominionism falls into the same category as spiritual mysticism and the practice of making oneself a God. This pattern repeats itself over and over again in many false movements today. Man will not live by faith alone like the Bible instructs, so he feels he has to try to change God’s will or change circumstances here on earth to his liking, just to satisfy his own self-inflated ego.
kim
PS… There is something I would like to add. This article is so short that is really does not do the subject matter any justice at all. All I want to do is warn Christians about false ministries and then they can do further research. I met two amazing women at a Discernment-Ministries seminar in February. They are Jewel Grewe and Sarah Leslie. They have been researching dominionism since the 80’s.
Check out these two sites for their imput and their great service to the Lord.
http://discernment-ministries.org
6 comments
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August 9, 2007 at 9:23 pm
Gordon
You said, “..Dominionism falls into the same category as spiritual mysticism..”
I disagree. Dominionism seeks to bring judgment and division as well as exalting various men – prophets and apostles – into positions of judgment. Mystics – of whom Jesus was the best example – seek to present a God of love, acceptance and forgiveness, quite contrary to the Old Covenant god of the dominionists.
If you sincerely believe you are god’s personal watchman to warn Christians about other believers whom you feel are problems to your belief system, then at least realize that the warring, condemnation, and judgment of other beliefs contrary to yours is no different than the errors of the dominionist prophets and apostles. Christ Himself said those who live by the sword will die by the sword, and we are not to resist evil. Fighting perceived evil hasn’t worked for centuries. Perhaps Love is a better way?
August 10, 2007 at 12:37 am
Kim
I believe that Dominionism does involve spiritual mysticism because almost all eastern religions say that self is God. Dominionism/Kingdom Now theology in the eschatological sense believes that when there are enough purified god-like or man as God, believers on earth then and only then can the Lord Jesus Christ return to earth.
But His kingdom is not of this earth:
John 18:36 Jesus answered “My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence.”
And we are not as Gods, this is a lie from Satan, the same lie he tempted Eve with:
Gen 3:5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
If man could be tempted in the perfect world of the garden of Eden then why does man want to recreate this scenerio?
I am curious about you calling Jesus a mystic. Here is a definition copied and pasted.
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Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) – Cite This Source
mys·tic /ˈmɪstɪk/ Pronunciation Key – Show Spelled Pronunciation[mis-tik] Pronunciation Key – Show IPA Pronunciation
–adjective 1. involving or characterized by esoteric, otherworldly, or symbolic practices or content, as certain religious ceremonies and art; spiritually significant; ethereal.
2. of the nature of or pertaining to mysteries known only to the initiated: mystic rites.
3. of occult character, power, or significance: a mystic formula.
4. of obscure or mysterious character or significance.
5. of or pertaining to mystics or mysticism.
–noun 6. a person who claims to attain, or believes in the possibility of attaining, insight into mysteries transcending ordinary human knowledge, as by direct communication with the divine or immediate intuition in a state of spiritual ecstasy.
7. a person initiated into religious mysteries.
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So are you saying that dominionism has no mysticism but that Jesus is a mystic?
August 10, 2007 at 7:00 am
waytruthlife
Hi Gordon,
I disagree with you in your assessment on the person of Jesus Christ. Firstly, to separate Christ from the “Old testament” God, you are denying who he is. Christ was present before the creation of the universe, he was active in the creation of the universe, he was united with God the Father in the dispensing of the Law, he was united with God the Father in the judgements we saw against various peoples in the Old Testament. As a matter of fact, in the New Testament in John 5:19-24 NIV we read:
Jesus gave them this answer: “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can only do what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes to your amazement he will show him even greater things than these. For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it. Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgement to the Son, that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father.
Second, as far as Jesus being a mystic… you’re saying Jesus came on the scene with this “new” teaching which could not be substantiated by the Old Testament Scripture. He did not come to reveal something which was “hidden”. He came as the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets. The Old Testament points to Christ. And everything that Jesus Christ said and did could be backed up by Scripture.
A mystic claims to have revelation apart from Scripture. They claim to have a “new” word from God, and they seek to gain a following after themselves. Jesus only ever pointed to the Father, and the Holy Spirit only ever points to Jesus Christ. The Three-in-one, Trinity, Godhead, whichever term you choose always operates in perfect union. They never only point to themselves. And what they say can ALWAYS be backed up by Scripture – which is REVEALED, not HIDDEN.
So as far as these Latter Rain, Third Wave, New Apostolic Dominionists go, YES – they are mystics. They have appointed themselves to be prophets, and they claim to have new instructions from God on how to run the church. Yet their claims cannot be backed up Scripturally. They treat the Bible as a dusty old book that was for yesterday. But the truth is: “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.” These are the words of Jesus found in Matthew 24:35 NIV.
Gordon, I wish you well. I am concerned though that you’ve divorced Jesus from the Father. When you piece all of the Scriptures together and see God as the “well oiled machine” that he is, you can’t help but marvel at his genius and majesty.
February 27, 2015 at 3:58 pm
mema
Even 8 years after the 1st comment discussing the Charismania/NAR/Ecumenical error after error entering into all our churches? =
IT’S GOTTEN WAY WORSE!…so much worse that it has even infiltrated into my own local “conservative” baptist church in Auburn, WA.
Lead there by people who left doctrinal truth behind.
Claiming that Triune Holy Living God is now replaced by things The Trinity FORGOT to mention, being announced as all new ways to “pray” – “walk” ect.ect…
ending in an ecumenical mess. False prophecies/false doctrines/
false actions = (prayerwalking to name 1) and false gnostic prayers are what now infests and destroys today’s church. 8 years later. Wow.
February 28, 2015 at 7:35 am
Kim
Thank for commenting on this article…It has been some time since I have reviewed it. I do not live far from Auburn…about one hour. I live in Allyn. I also see that the link to the Latter Rain site is still active and they are in Battle Ground WA.
I am sorry that your church has been infiltrated…Have you left it? So many struggle trying to decide the right time to leave. One can stay and be light and salt and witness to the truth but usually is asked to leave.
September 25, 2015 at 2:55 am
DOMINIONISM – A Summary | It Ain't the Same
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