7/12/08 Licentiousness Defined – The opposite of liberty is licentiousness, which is a disregard for doing the right thing when it comes to personal matters, which is love of no restraint. Thus if liberty is dedication to the imposition of mutual self-restraint; licentiousness is dedication to the defamatory destruction of mutual self-restraint. The licentious then, in effect, are driven by necessity to call good evil and evil good. A popular version of licentiousness is practiced by those in society who believe youth must have its “fling,” its unrestraint in matters both legal and illegal. Besides being liberty-hating, this contingent is often simply just immature and self-absorbed. It has been called the me generation, the virtual reality generation, the lost generation. This devil of indwelling has many names but one result: generational wastage. Some survive. Some don’t. Too many youths are hurt by their jaded dissolute passions; passions driven by unsustainable disbelief in the merits of living a noble life, which is dedication to real yet lofty matters that are infinitely better, beyond and before selfish pleasures.
7/10/08 Liberty Further Defined – Liberty is dedication to the imposition of mutual self-restraint. Government shall be kept self-restrained by the people and, when necessary, the reverse. A community’s contract with liberty is necessarily a blood pledge. This cost of blood is at once the cause of extreme sorrow and, eventually, sorrow’s opposite.
Those who challenge liberty will always be met by sacrificial saints who are willing to exchange their potential injury and its pursuant sorrow for liberty’s life and its pursuant happiness to others, others who may be near siblings or far strangers. Over time, liberty wins.
But despite all modernity, barbarians continue to challenge liberty. These enemies have not drained the chalice of liberty dry. A miraculous cup then, is this chalice of liberty; whenever at risk of becoming empty, good hearts fill it anew.
When liberty’s need is small, few fulfill its need. But when its need is great, a great many will heed its sacrificial call. Liberty always will be a source of mystery to the enemies it conquers, and it always will be a source of miracles to those whom it protects.
So then we acknowledge that liberty is largely a mysterious and incomprehensible thing of the spirit. When unthreatened, liberty appears to – without cost – foster natural improvements to the human condition. But when liberty is threatened, normal humans can become super humans more selfless, self-restrained, creative, invigorated and empowered than any enemy under any tyrannical banner can ever be.
But liberty can die in a people if they spiritually neither understand nor believe its bountiful blessing nor its bitter bite; its two-edged sword that boldly sacrifices this world’s very best to eliminate this world’s very worst.
From 2/24/08 postings on Liberty
Liberty is the declaration of God-given freedom from oppression of unrestrained selves. In liberty we restrain ourselves to loving God and man, not being a god against men. We fear becoming a god against other men and thus restrain ourselves. Also we come to the aid, when prudent, of innocents who are oppressed by the unrestrained. Thus to love true liberty is to stand for timeless principles of restraint.
We love Abraham Lincoln not for his looks, but for what he loved unto death, which was duty to the defense and imposition of self-restraint on his day’s contingents of unrestraint. All such leaders themselves must be models of personal restraint and self-effacement or self-diminishment.
Abraham Lincoln was exemplar in self-restraint. So was his idol, George Washington. So were America’s Founding Fathers. But not so are some unrestrained televangelists of today, who are famously extravagant in personal expenditures and ministry video self-exaltation.
See now Disney’s classic “Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln” from Disneyland on YouTube as America’s Sixteenth President is honored for his principled enforcement of imposed self-restraint; for his transcendent devotion to liberty.
Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RR2jSTyGZQ.
7/8/08 Midterm Grades are Out! – Perhaps you might consider reading the Wittenburg Door’s review by John Bloom of US Senator Chuck Grassley’s July 7, 2008 report of his ongoing investigation of the finances of six popular televangelists. Bloom provides a report card, as did this website on 4/1/08. Bloom’s headline: “Benny Gets an A, Kenny Gets an F.” A video news report is also available within Bloom’s review.
http://www.wittenburgdoor.com/benny-hinn-gets-a-copeland-gets-f#comments .
http://finance.senate.gov/press/Gpress/2008/prg070708.pdf.
The 7/7/08 Televangelist Humility Scorecard:
Joyce Meyer: A+ in Humility for “providing extensive answers to all questions.”
Benny Hinn: A in Humility for “providing extensive answers to all questions.”
R. & P. White: C in Humility for providing general but “incomplete” answers.
Eddie Long: D- in Humility for “general” info deemed “not responsive.”
Creflo Dollar: F- in Humility for declining “to reply to any requested” info.
Kenneth Copeland: F in Humility for “partial” info deemed “not responsive.”
(Thanks go to John Bloom’s grade report from Wittenburg Door! rwb: I added “in Humility” to the above scorecard.)
The 4/1/08 Televangelist Humility Scorecard:
Joyce Meyer: A in Humility for turning in required docs by 12/6/07.
Benny Hinn: C in Humility for 2nd “rolling production” docs sent on 3/28/08.
R. & P. White: C in Humility for saying they FedExed first docs on 3/28/08.
Eddie Long: C in Humility for promising first docs by 4/15/08.
Creflo Dollar: F in Humility for refusing to comply with the US Senators.
Kenneth Copeland: F in Humility for refusing to comply with the US Senators.
(As originally posted on the In That Day Teaching Website)
Love Those Lawyers! (Say the Televangelists) – Grassley appears to be annoyed by the weak-argument tactic appearing to be employed by the cash-rich televangelists who apparently don’t want light to shine on financial transactions they deem best kept dark:
“The ministries that continue not to cooperate appear to be heeding the advice of attorneys who are not familiar with congressional oversight in general and specifically the Finance Committee’s oversight and legislative work in the area of tax-exempt organizations over the last seven years. These attorneys who aren’t part of the ministries themselves have a natural incentive to prolong the process as long as possible.” – US Senator Charles Grassley
Bottom Lawyer Lovin’ Line – Grassley appears ready, willing and able to issue US Senate subpoenas to perhaps Long, Dollar and Copeland. Throughout Grassley’s well written press release, the Senator bemoans the petty tactics of delay signaled by the recalcitrant televangelists. Grassley ends his 7/7/08 press release with these words:
“The churches not yet cooperating also have retained Washington, D.C., lawyers who stand to gain from dragging out response time to requests for information.” – US Senator Charles Grassley
In That Day Teachings Recommend – Perhaps you might consider reading three thoughtful editorials on revival from Lee Grady, editor of Charisma magazine:
Bam! Pow! When Prayer Ministry Gets Violent:
http://fireinmybones.com/index.php?col=061808~Bam!%20Pow!%20When%20Prayer%20Ministry%20Gets%20Violent
The Marks of Genuine Revival, Part 1:
http://fireinmybones.com/index.php?col=062508~The%20Marks%20of%20Genuine%20Revival,%20Part%201
The Marks of Genuine Revival, Part 2:
http://fireinmybones.com/index.php?col=070208~The%20Marks%20of%20Genuine%20Revival,%20Part%202
Cornerstone of Flexibility – “The cornerstone of mental health is being flexible.” – Dr. Laura Schlessinger.
7/7/08 Subcutaneous Christ – Christ is supposed to be under our skin, alive and enjoying ourselves. Expect to find in people you chance to meet an ability to manifest this same Christ, and that the manifestation could enhance, correct, exhort or amplify your ability to manifest this same subcutaneous Christ in new and better ways. Thus we love one another and honor strangers. We must honor all whom we suspect harbor Christ living and administrating His being under their skin! Sadly, worldly people and far too many Christians have little respect for each other or strangers. The Bible calls this end-times phenomenon cold love. Some people – and even some preachers– have so little faith in God that they visibly detest meeting a person unimportant in their eyes because they have no knowledge that Christ Himself can potentially be manifesting in whom they show such astonishing disrespect. Sadly, Christian religion is weak on this teaching. Worst are non-indwelt-by-God televangelists who must necessarily say of themselves, “I am great, my gospel is great, and you must send me money that is great.” Since their broadcasting ability gives them an eye (i.e. world view) that alters their audience’s eyes (i.e. world view); their gospel of self can snuff out the flame of Christ indwelling. The blind leaders see no Christ in their blind viewers, and the blind viewers see no Christ in their leaders; and all are content, except God. Christ wants to manifest in every man, woman and child possible. It starts by respecting each image of God, each human. This is the beginning of receiving water of God through those He inhabits. Later comes grafting onto the vine of Christ. This is the work of the Holy Spirit along with certain humans. God prefers to inhabit people who love people. People who only love God and His dead saints, but despise this same God who now lives in others whom He delights are some of the planet’s most conflicted beings. These fakers love God and loath man. Thus, they occupy a strange spiritual desert where they bypass every oasis of inhabitance, believing the heaven-sent waters from human saints indwelt of God to be retched. Such miscreants fear the discovery that their religion has produced nothing but a devil under their skin. And no one knows this hidden mystery better than someone who has God under their skin. We know this, some of us, because we had a hell of a time getting the devil out from under us, and still have a challenging time keeping God in us! We should be proud of nothing, if we want God’s good company. And the best way to keep God’s good company, is to honor His wonderful presence in other souls we meet! And if we meet souls who are poorly inhabited of God, our indwelt light might encourage or convict them. Little is accomplished by automatically disrespecting another soul. We would do well to greet strangers as potential angels, until we discern by the Spirit otherwise. We must love God so much that we respect all whom we meet, until we discern by the Spirit what comes our way: either a person so saintly as to be angelic or so dastardly to be demonic; or like so many of us a mixture somewhere in between; and why it pleases God that we should so meet; and what would please God that we should do for each other.
Subcutaneous Christ Watch – If the above paragraph is true about human souls, the same can be said for art, nature, anything. See the 2008 Pixar movie, WALL-E. Many universal themes of truth and love are available under the skin of this movie. Likewise, watch certain websites. I was once told by a great observer of religion, “I won’t look at your website, Robert. If I looked at everyone’s website, I couldn’t do my job.”
See:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5e16U8UsT4I&feature=related (WALL-E trailer)
7/1/08 Our Hidden World of Victory – The kingdom of heaven is made invisible by pride, rigidity and discord with God; yet made visible by humility, flexibility and concord with God. Thus, rigid religious institutions with pride cannot see the greater parts of the kingdom of heaven, or the greater parts of truth. Martial artist James Williams of Encinitas, California says if we allow, accept and don’t fight things that come our way (life, really) then we can access what is available: a surprising way of victory of seemingly effortless enablement, a divine empowerment of fluid grace. This is visibly observable in certain masters of Russian Martial Art. This self-defense methodology is called “Systema.” Systema involves a way of breathing, relaxing, allowing, accepting, conforming and awareness that finds energetic solutions in surprising ways. Interestingly, this fluid “way” hearkens unto Paul’s “way.” The common goal is permanent damage to one’s ego, elimination of carnal proclivities and enlightenment unto indwelling of God’s empowering Spirit. Mikhail Ryabko, senior teacher of Russian Martial Art in Moscow, says not only does the art form date back to the Tenth Century of the Russian Orthodox Church, but as far back as Czar (King) David himself. If true, then this humble, fluid and God-connected way of finding a way where there is no way seems to confirm the In That Day Teachings’ emphasis on humility, flexibility and God-indwelling; while exposing the ills of pride, rigidity and disconnection from God that is apparent in so many braggadocios television ministers. (Interestingly, such braggadocios behavior itself is unnoticed by wolf and deceived sheep alike until a modicum of truth is somehow put into them. In other words, the proud prosperity wolves and the proud prosperity duped see no truth in In That Day Teachings, until personal apocalypse or divine doings show them the spirits they have been of, which typically are greed, self-service, cheap faith, self-enslavement and fear.) In such hidden truth is our victory.
http://www.russianmartialart.com/main.php?page=clips (Toronto, Canada)
http://norcalsystema.com/home.html. (Featuring Vladimir Vasiliev of Toronto.)
http://systemofstrategy.com/james-williams/. James Williams of Encinitas, California.)
Chaos vs. Peace – Times are chaotic. On the increase: violence, war, inflation, disease, corruption, poverty, enslavement. This forces some to seek higher truth. Do prosperity preachers have solutions for the poor, other than to make themselves rich at the poor’s expense? Will a prosperity mantra keep us from being swindled, after having been swindled by prosperity preachers? How can darkened eyes see? Stated coarsely, a prosperity wolf makes his flock unseeing dupes to his extortion and excess with the exception that a few sheep gain eyes and avarice to become wolves also. We must be wise as the Devil to see through whom he schemes. Yes, we must have faith; but not self-serving fanatic faith which is disconnected from the God of this present moment. After all, the solution to most personal problems is to simply be mature. With maturity we are surprised to find many popular doctrines of religious movements are laugh-out-loud wrong! Yet we know deep in our hearts we must find God, be cleansed by God and be maturely connected – or indwelt – of God. This is our – and God’s – heavenly peace.
6/27/08 Recondite Reconnaissance – God likes to hide a thing. It is His delight. And what, pray tell, is the greatest thing He hides? Himself, of course. Where? In people, to see if anybody notices! Who notices God in man? The answer is an IQ test for truth. Ungodly and proud people – no matter how religious or successful in degree, position or power – cannot see God in the images of Himself He inhabits. They are blind. But consider the reverse. Godly and humble people – no matter how unreligious or disenfranchised in degree, position or power – can see God in images of Himself He inhabits. In Matthew 5: 8 Jesus says, “Blessed are the pure in heart; for they shall see God” (in others like themselves.) In fact, the God-indwelt can even see the potential for others to be God indwelt. Such God bearers are well wishing, encouraging and exhorting. They say, “God be with you.” Seers see such potential. They see, like John the Revelator saw, a new heaven coming to earth in perfect symmetry from above to inside; changing the outside from within; which the blind cannot see but those with God’s Spirit can; keeping those with dark spirits outside the gates of God while letting those with spirits of light in. It is virtually inexplicable to many, yet simply understood by some. Thus the Book of Revelation is about Jesus revealing Himself in us. For Jesus to be indwelt in us it might take our undergoing many personal apocalypses to remodel our spiritual house to God’s liking. But if a Christian is taught too much rapture, end times dispensational eschatology and eternal security teachings; then God indwelling is difficult or impossible to understand. It becomes too recondite or hidden from carnal comprehension. It is too abstruse, that is until the ultra personal “that day” of the Bible, which is an individually select day of the Lord’s wrath, return and rejoicing… or continued denial, delay and eventual weeping. Many Christians have been sold a bill of goods with the mantra “Should Jesus tarry.” The plain truth is: Jesus never tarries. We do, especially when His return is hidden from our sight blinded by pride and wrong religious dogma. Thus, we tarry until we trek enough truth reconnaissance to lose the blindness of false doctrines and gain insight and indwelling of the God of this very moment. Hallelujah!
Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus: Whereunto I also labor, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily. – Colossians 1:26-9
“…lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.” – Matthew 28:20
“Behold, I come quickly.” – Revelation 22:7, 22:12
“Surely, I come quickly.” – Revelation 22:20
6/26/08 Join, or Die … (Spiritually Speaking) – According to Wikipedia, on May 9, 1754 Benjamin Franklin published a cartoon he drew of a snake cut into eight pieces. The pieces were labeled with names of New England territories. The title: “Join, or Die.” The popular political cartoon was originally used to promote unity against the French. Ten years later the image was re-titled “Unite, or Die” for use against the English. Interestingly, it was also used in the Civil War by both sides. And now in 2008, the quarter of a millennium-year-old image has been used as the title segment of the HBO miniseries John Adams, which chronicles the life of the second President of the United States. When an icon keeps re-appearing perhaps there is a lesson in it for us.
Unite, or Die … (Spiritually Speaking) – The In That Day Teachings proclaim Christ wants to manifest in every man, woman and child. This is the mystery of God, Christ in you, according to Colossians 1:26-29. This also is Christ’s triple iteration of “Behold, I come quickly,” from the Bible’s last page. It is what true worshippers of God in spirit and truth receive as a gift for holiness, however brief the episode. It is also what false religionists fear to be true, because of their unpleasantness to the point of abomination. In other words, their desolate-of-God witness on earth, often caused by wrong doctrine, points to their spiritual blindness and death in eternity. This life of ours must be now connected with God’s indwelling Spirit, else our spirit in eternity might not. The cold, hard truths of the In That Day Teachings are also warm, soft truths: Humbly honor God and God’s indwelt persons, and be evermore so indwelt yourself. Hence: “Unite, or Die.”
Appeal to Heaven – The message of God indwelling is also provided, albeit somewhat obscurely, on the Bible’s first page. In Genesis 1:26, God gives a spiritual command for man to have dominion over his own spirit, soul, body and outside influences of good and evil as represented by fish, fowl, cattle, all the earth and creeping things; so that God might inhabit the image of Himself He created. Thus images inhabited by their Maker bring heaven’s blessings to earth. This is heaven’s appeal, and it should also be, like the 1775 Evergreen Tree of Liberty flag, our “Appeal to Heaven.”
See this evocative clip of the HBO introduction to John Adams featuring US liberty flags:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6DPeCXV5bI.
6/25/08 Who We Are – Tough times accomplish many things, chief among them is telling us who we are. Christians are supposed to be free. We are to be free from sin. And we are to love this freedom. To be free from sin is to possess the quality of self-restraint. To enjoy freedom we must join among citizens dedicated to the imposition of self-restraint. Recently, a great aid to liberty was given us in John Adams, a seven segment miniseries from HBO. The miniseries, based on a book by the same name by David McCullough, is about the birth of liberty and the United States of America. Adams was the second US President. The series explains how George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and other Founding Fathers gave birth to a new kind of freedom. In this age of uncertainty, we must relearn the gift of liberty and rededicate ourselves to its noble cause. Christians worldwide would do well to learn, love and enlarge today the miracle that happened two hundred and thirty-two years ago in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
From July 4, 1776 – “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” – Declaration of Independence
See: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oeHepBjAyS0.
June 19, 2008
Dear Pastor Benjamin Wamalwa Khaemba, Bungoma, Kenya, Africa,
Greetings in the blessed name and nature of Christ Jesus our Lord!
I apologize for the gap in my e-mails. I have been gone on trips to visit with family.
These trips take me away from writing. But I suppose I need the time off.
The loneliness God gives me in Reno, Nevada enables my work on In That Day Teachings. Each topic I write about takes much spiritual effort. Afterward, I feel enlightened, exhausted, drained and spiritually “worked about.” Whew! This has happened hundreds of times. Most people, including my family, would think I’m crazy. So it is a mercy to live alone.
This Fall will mark my fourth year of work on the project.
Soon I hope to schedule a trip to Kenya. I keep praying for guidance. Thank you for the kind invitation to teach in Kenya! You only have embraced the teachings.
Question: Do you have oversight from bishops or a central denomination of some kind? If so, have you told them about me?
If you asked me the same question, I would report I have no church oversight. This, I agree, can be problematical. On the other hand, I am free to roam with ideas – hopefully not too much!
Nevertheless, the teachings came to me starting in the Spring of 1994. I received them on and off until 2001. The prophet who introduced me to these ideas then went to the Lord a few years later. Then in 2004 I started making video teachings and uploading them to the In That Day Teaching website. I made mistakes along the way and had to retract some material.
Here is what I believe about the In That Day Teachings:
1) The teachings line up with Paul’s “Mystery-of-God-Christ-in-You of Colossians 1:26-29.
Col 1:26 Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:
Col 1:27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:
Col 1:28 Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus:
Col 1:29 Whereunto I also labor, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily.
2) The teachings line up with Revelation Chapter 22’s “Behold, I come quickly” to now indwell humankind that is righteous (OK) or holy (much better.)
3) The teachings line up with Christ’s concern that we know not what spirit we are of.
4) The teachings explain that Job was stuck in rigid, religious pride and God wanted him to pioneer breaking through to humble holiness and God indwelling, with the help of young prophet Elihu. (It’s important to humble self and take help from others in God.)
5) The teachings line up with all of Isaiah Chapter 28, especially the “line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little, there a little” concept of higher indwelling.
But for now, you alone – or so it seems – embrace the ideas of In That Day Teachings.
When I first heard them, I thought every Christian would rejoice that so many answers about the future are now available! I was told that few cared. In time I discovered that yes, sadly, few cared. But you care, my brother!
I thank God for you. And I look forward to the day we meet and enjoy brotherly fellowship in God. Hallelujah and amen! You will boost my confidence. I have let myself be really beat down.
God’s gift to me is you. Thank you my brother. And I thank God for you.
A last word of warning: I pray my teachings cause no fear, anger and condemnation. However, they probably will. You would be amazed at the personal trouble the teachings have caused me.
I want to make it abundantly clear my teachings have nothing to do with a weird philosophy in Christendom called “Dominionism.” Below I have posted my recent writings on the website.
You see, I don’t wish to “take over” Kenya the nation. Nor do I wish to “take over” your church or any church. I wish no people harm, physically or spiritually. The In That Day Teachings are entirely spiritual, and have nothing to do with carnal warfare, carnal armies or anything carnal.
Of course, if you improve the spiritual realm, you naturally improve the carnal realm. That is what I hope will be the wonderful proof of In That Day Teachings: A people enlightened unto indwelling of Christ, the God of wisdom, welfare and wonder.
Hoping all in Christ,
Robert Winkler Burke
Reno, Nevada USA
775-690-7293 cell
6/17/08 RE: Here is my second e-mail reply to a person questioning my disbelief in Eternal Security:
Thanks for your e-mail.
For some reason, I never could buy into the circular logic of Eternal Security and once saved always saved predisposition. Example: Once a citizen we are not always saved... if we rob a bank! We go to jail!
So, one day I heard about a previous earth age (the Three Earth Age doctrine.)
I could not dispute the following:
1) In the previous age, Satan took to his side a third of the angels. (So says the Bible.)
2) In this age, God wants as many people as is possible saved. (So says the Bible.)
Well, now... that is interesting indeed. This is two earth ages so far...
3) There is talk of a New Age, of a time of heaven on earth (So says the Bible.)
4) This makes precisely: Three Earth Ages (So says the Bible.) No argument possible here.
From here I could see or discern a plan that, in fact, many dispute.
5) God knew some (if not all) in this previous earth age. (So records the Bible.)
6) If so, perhaps those that pleased God (imagine 2%), are today's elect. (Ez. 5:3)
7) Today's elect get a form of predisposed salvation (i.e. Moses, Joseph, David), but it can be lost, amazingly.
8) The elect have always have limited free will and supernatural promptings (i.e. Moses, Joseph, David, even Jesus.)
9) The elect serve the rest of humanity in humility, unless they get screwed up in renegade pride. (i.e. tv ministers)
10) Despite talk to the contrary, this is kind of how it is, whether or not Calvinists care. (Elect have no free will. Most everyone else does have free will. Even more bizarre, those with free will can volunteer to lose their free will. And lastly, there may even be a satanic election, a predestined group countering the elect. This is pondering at things impossible to really prove, but since when is pondering a sin?)
11) This Three Earth Age knowledge of the elect is useful primarily to the elect, to help understand their callings.
12) The rest of the world bitterly rants that to believe this concept is to be horribly racist and prejudiced.
13) The elect keep being born with callings that involve loss of free will to do certain things for God for humankind.
14) Paul knew and wrote of all of this, but non-elect leaders have misinterpretted election to apply to all people.
15) I could be wrong but at least this reasoning is not circular. And the reasoning resonates in my soul.
16) It is shocking to say so, but the movie "Total Recall" is a great parable explaining much of this.
17) I know: How dare God use modern movies as parables to explain greater truth! HE CAN'T DO THAT, they say.
18) Oh well. It is very hard job to put God in a box, even a circular reference box. (Sorry for the cheap joke.)
19) Interestingly the prophet Bob Jones says he learned in a visitation with the Lord that currently, only two percent of the world’s population makes heaven.
20) Thus perhaps two percent pleased God in the last earth age. They became the elect of this age to help another two percent make heaven in this age. Presumably, the four percent total of all who ever pleased God would in the beyond manage more city growth, as the parable of talents implies?
Hoping all in Christ,
Robert Winkler Burke
Reno, Nevada USA
Dented Doctrine Described – Today I would like to talk about Dominion Theology, also referred to as Kingdom Now Theology or Latter Rain. These doctrines are at once much criticized, but also fervently taught by some global media ministries.
Dominion Theology believes Christ’s Kingdom must be set up now, except contrary to In That Day Teachings, dominionists apparently believe this kingdom preparation is, more or less, carnal in nature. Thus they want to “take back” institutions beyond the church. The In That Day Teachings emphasize Christ’s kingdom preparation is entirely spiritual in nature. (Interestingly, some dominionists reject the rapture, correctly believing it to be a false and dissipating distraction.)
The In That Day Teachings purport that Christ, indeed, lives in our hearts. Thus Christ’s nature manifests in us at varying levels. The oft stated goal of In That Day Teachings is to increase the degree to which Christ, indeed, manifests in our hearts. This is done by believing the right doctrine, which then enables spiritual deliverance and victory in God. Therefore, no government, no nation, no peoples need to fear In That Day Teachings, unless we fear increasing good people with good spirits. But, dominion doctrine may scare some people because its goal sometimes is said to “take back” institutions beyond the church.
If dominion theology is zealous about taking back control of institutions of government, school, business and nations, then leave the In That Day Teachings out of it. Such zealots tends to be somewhat unregenerate, having avoided the overcoming process of spiritual scourging by fiddling with other people’s business. These zealots believe the carnal world must be controlled and readied for Christ’s literal return. The In That Day Teachings states the souls of mankind must be improved and readied for Christ’s indwelling return. This, the teachings say, is our job this Millennium.
If I am a passenger on a commercial jet, I should want the pilot to be a good pilot. If the pilot is a good pilot, I should neither be surprised that the pilot is a Christian, or that he is not. As with the pilot, so the governor, or general or doctor or – in fact – anybody.
To be good at an occupation is to be made of things necessarily different than the things in a person that make them a God-indwelt soul. Certainly the two endeavors compliment one another, but each alone do not guarantee success of the other.
Thus by the hallowed precepts of Western Enlightenment, different institutions of man, including executive government, courts, legislature, education, health, safety, art, defense, religion, press, business and such, are – thank God – kept at arm’s distance from each other, while also within each other’s reach for necessary correction to prevent harm to individual or collective rights.
Western Enlightenment is based on two contradictory principles: Man is good and man is bad. Man is good enough to warrant protection of single and group rights. Man is bad enough that force must be used against any single or group of his that infringes on others. This enlightened reasoning proffers an amazing package of individual and collective checks and balances that – strange enough – work. In fact, it can be argues no better way exists for conflicted humanity to live in peace.
Thus dominionists seem to put the cart before the horse. Impatient with God, man and themselves, they believe it their divine duty to somehow take back territory that is not really theirs to take back.
Suppose the Unites States used to be Christian but now is not. If true, the American Church’s job is not to take over the US government. Rather it would be to become a better church, would it not?
The In That Day Teachings excoriate the popular televangelists of the US for abrogation of duty to properly prepare souls for indwelling of Christ. If Jesus could inhabit the souls of US citizens at a vastly greater percentage and power, would not our nation improve?
On the other hand, do we really want television preachers “taking back” and controlling the national defense, the courts, the utilities, the medical establishment, the banks or retirement funds? If we say, no to such a proposal, then we begin to understand the balance of limits and separation of different natures.
God in His wisdom tells the ocean to go only as far as the shore, and no further. All things, even God’s glorious church, have limits. We would be wise to understand this matter of humility.
Jesus knew two-thousand years ago the future was not a re-incarnated Davidic Kingdom, with rigidly righteous “believing” legions of unwashed-by-the-blood, overcoming-avoiding souls who remain disconnected from God’s indwelt spirit yet somehow run the world with Jesus on a literal throne. No, the coming kingdom of Jesus is entirely spiritual. It is sufficient to make heaven on earth when that blessed day comes. This is good news for people wanting more of God’s correcting spirit in them. It is bad news for people, even the religious, who dread having more of God’s correcting spirit in them.
The In That Day Teachings focus on soul growth, soul cleansing, soul sight, soul hearing and maximum soul indwelling with Jesus. That is all and that is enough.
Nevertheless, many can no doubt argue that in regards to Christian religion, there are much more important things to think about. And whatever those things are, they will have to live with those thoughts. And those thoughts might have nothing to do with Christ indwelling souls on earth now to bring heaven now.
The beauty of In That Day Teachings, is that as a man or woman thinks about better ways to allow Jesus to manifest in his or her life, so that man or woman will be, which happens to be quite good indeed. Amen!
6/16/08 Check This Out – See this online listing of “Famous Preachers.” This online truth aggregator has photos, facts, critiques, biographies, bibliographies, YouTube clips, etc. Note many of these preachers “narrow-cast” their individual viewpoints, with no mention or explanation of their glaring differences with each other. This can amount to an unexplained prerequirement of unexamined fealty. To do this, their view – and our view – must be narrow. But we can seek to connect doctrinal dots, view at wide-angle and inquire. This is a goal of In That Day Teachings.
See: http://www.online-bibleconcordance.com/Ministers/Default.aspx.
RE: Here is my e-mail reply to a person questioning my disbelief in Eternal Security:
In regards to Eternal Security, I could be wrong in my disbelief of it.
Interestingly, my understanding -- and I could be wrong here again -- is that Catholics don't believe in Eternal Security (ES.) Orthodox believers also reject it.
Anyway, I have met believers of Eternal Security who absolutely freak out at the thought their salvation isn't sure. Then I propose to look at it just like an enlistee does when joining the US Army. An enlistee takes an oath of loyalty, goes through boot camp, becomes a soldier.
The US Army Enlistee:
1) Serves with no guarantees, but it doesn't freak him out (he is mature)
2) Hopes to serve his country's army with honor... maybe get some medals.
3) Hopes to perhaps get a GI Bill scholarship for college...
4) Gets training, opportunities, insurances, rank, travel, friends, promotions...
5) Hopes to not die but live...
6) Hopes to retire with perhaps a pension...
7) Hopes to receive an honorable discharge…
8) Could perhaps some day be President of US, Commander in Chief of the military.
This enlistee, as well as all other enlistees, do not FREAK OUT because their future isn't sure. They are mature in this. Why can't Christian's be mature in this?
Dangers for the US Army Enlistee:
1) He could become a spy for the enemy. If caught, he might face death.
2) He could go AWOL. If caught, he might spend time in jail or be dishonored.
3) He could lose life or limb in the line of duty.
4) He could commit adultery with his general's wife and get in big trouble.
5) He could be discharged and assassinate the US President (Like Oswald, 1963)
6) He could shoot himself in the foot to avoid duty or otherwise be called a slacker.
7) He could panic in battle and freeze, despite his best intentions.
8) He could make mistakes in battle that kills his buddies and hurts his nation.
These are terrible things to consider. Yet, people still enlist. And they enlist with no guarantees. Where there is great risk, so is reward.
This is reality in the US Army, perhaps even in God’s Army. The US Army requires great maturity, but God less?
Hoping all in Christ,
Robert Winkler Burke
Reno, Nevada
775-690-7293 cell
6/14/08 My dear brothers and sisters,
Thank you for reading this website.
My next piece will be a wide-angle lens, “let’s step way back and look at the world” attempt to explain the difference between “In That Day Teachings” and the generally (popular, discredited, loved and loathed) topics of Kingdom Now Theology, Dominion Theology, Post-Millennial Theology purporting Jesus won’t come back until the entire world has heard His gospel, various accusations critics make that each other is leading nefarious cults, anti-Semitism and “the church is spiritual Israel” movement, Third Wave Dominion Revival, etc.
Whew! Just typing that I perceive virtue has gone out of me! (Luke 8:46) Perhaps, just reading it did the same to you! Yes?
So let’s laugh at the ridiculous arguing; yet somewhere – oh somewhere – is truth!
I believe God would have us reason together. So I will attempt to use something called “Enlightened Western Reason.”
The wide-angle Christian thesis starts with:
a) Post-Resurrection, Paul and brethren wrote of a mysterious way of indwelling.
b) Pre-Luther, the Catholics said works get you in heaven, never mind indwelling.
c) Post-Luther, the “push back” Protestants said faith gets you in heaven, period.
d) Post-Television, televangelists said donations get you riches and rapture now.
e) Post-Internet, critical bloggers rejected ideas b, c, and d as being biblically bent.
f) Post-Streaming Video, some said Christ wants a way to indwell our clean spirits.
This sort of reminds me of dialogue from the 2000 movie, Disney’s The Kid. Child Rusty is talking to Russ, who is an evangelist image consultant (grin.) Rusty starts:
I get what you do now, I mean I get what I do – when I grow up for a living. I figured out how to explain.
Let me hear it.
You help people lie about who they really are, so that they can pretend to be someone else. Right?
Yeah.
See? It’s not hard to explain.
Pray for me.
Thanks,
Robert
6/12/08
The Demons Inside Us – Today I heard a talk show with a young woman who called in to complain about the man in her life. The show’s host, Dr. Laura Schlessinger, told her:
“Most of the time the demons inside us are the most powerful; not the ones across the road… You have to fight your inner demons.”
How refreshing to hear what many popular preachers refuse to preach: God is spirit. He gave us sprits that we must control. (Gen 4:6) Jesus rebuked his disciples saying:
“Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of.” (Luke 9:55)
God Deludes the Deluded – Yet some branches of intellectual Christianity refuse to line up with doctor Laura and doctor Jesus. So what is the cost to Christians for believing such unspiritual intellectualism? Well for starters, how about gross misunderstanding of our particular time on earth? This makes sense, if you think about it. God lets the deluded provoke their own additional confusions.
Do they provoke me to anger? saith the LORD: do they not provoke themselves to the confusion of their own faces? (Jeremiah 7:19)
If Christian leaders refuse to see and clean up what wrong spirits they are of, then God won’t let them have a clear idea of the future. For God is concerned that when we die and our souls and spirits go to judgment, we pass. He desires us in His future.
Gluttony Spirit – Thus for example, apparently the televangelist Kenneth Copeland has a spirit of jet gluttony, but he won’t look at it and eliminate it. If he has a Gulfstream, he wants a $20 million Citation X. If he gets one, he wants two (one for the wife, you know.) In a video captured on YouTube, he also says he could use a Boeing 747! Good grief! He can’t be happy living in an 18,000 square foot parsonage?
Excess Spirit – Thus also, televangelist Benny Hinn is famous for his spirits of extravagance and excess. (Matthew 23:25) But Hinn apparently has not dealt with his inner demons. It is reported his hobby is shopping at Beverly Hills. He has stayed at $10,000 per night hotels at ministry expense. He lives next to a Carlton-Ritz hotel on a drive called Ritz Cove in a $12 million parsonage in an enclave for the mega wealthy above the surf at Dana Point, California. Even a store in Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills put Hinn’s name on its front window as proof of approved patronage by this world famous shopper. Yet Hinn does not teach to repent of feeding such spirits in himself.
Lust Spirit – Thus also, televangelist Bishop Earl Paulk had a spirit of lust he did not look at and eliminate. His sexual escapades are so astonishing they will not all be listed here. Visit Wikipedia for the scandalous reports of how DNA testing proved he is not the uncle to his nephew preacher but rather the father. At 70, age not self-restraint, is victor.
See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earl_Paulk.
Teach Escapism and Self-Destruct – The lesson in this? Successful teachers of escapology doctrines seem madly driven to demonstrates such extreme escape from self-restraint that they self-destruct. This is the history of escape-teaching televangelists. The point is that the doctrine is bad, not the teachers. The bad doctrine evidences itself in power, when the teacher has power. The lowly have less ability to escape from self-restraint, so they stay relatively self-restrained. In other words it is a mercy the sheep taught escapism don’t have the great power of global televangelists that teach them. The mighty in televangelism teaching escapology can and do escape restraints of morality, maturity and money management. They need to repent massively.
Bad Doctrine Destroys its Believers – What makes all this low sin in high ministers possible is a) escapist doctrine denying the importance of victory over one’s own inner-demon spirits and b) God insisting that these same high ministers prove themselves long wrong so the world learns that bad doctrine destroys its believers.
So, what is the right doctrine? First, let us consider that God wants us to overcome sin; sin that is deep, dark, embedded, generational, and hard to get out. The Second Commandment mentions the curse of disobedience runs to the third and fourth generations. Exodus 20:4-5:
Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image… for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me…
To Get Sin Out – To get sin out we must believe God wants us to see the logs in our eyes, or evil spirits in our soul. Once we see the evil spirits or inner demons in us, we must confess having them. This confession denies evil spirits legal rights to stay embedded in us and able to manifest. We then cast evil spirits out employing the blood of Jesus in prayer, as we deny the spirits power to manifest when they rise up. (Imagine Kenneth Copeland fighting inner demons wanting to buy Airbus 380 super jumbos!)
And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. – Rev. 12:11
Fanatic Faith Bends Scripture – What is the wrong doctrine that disables the overcoming process? Consider Fanatic Faith mantras: They say, “Jesus did it all.” They say, “I don’t receive trouble, Jesus can have it.” They say, “I don’t receive poverty, in Jesus I am rich!” This proves only that scriptures can be bent. Such believers might be escaping God-ordained opportunities for spiritual overcoming.
Rapture Escapes God Indwelling – Another wrong doctrine is the Rapture. It purports to whisk unregenerate souls off in a cloud with Jesus before any big tribulations happen to the somnambulant in Christ. Thus Rapture believers also escape from the soul cleansing process of overcoming.
God actually prefers we clean up our souls without tribulation, but since most of us don’t, He uses our troubles to goad us out of soul stupor. With tribulation we might see what spirits we are of, and do some long overdue house cleaning. God uses spirits to stir us.
Because you have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with Sheol (the place of the dead) we have an agreement -- when the overflowing scourge passes through, it will not come to us, for we have made lies our refuge, and in falsehood we have taken shelter. – Isaiah 28:15 Amplified [The NASB calls it the “overwhelming scourge” – rwb]
As often as it passes through, it [the enemy's scourge] will take you; for morning by morning will it pass through, by day and by night. And it will be utter terror merely to hear and comprehend the report and the message of it [but only hard treatment and dispersion will make you understand God's instruction]. – Isaiah 28:19 Amplified
Now therefore do not be scoffers, lest the bands which bind you be made strong; for a decree of [rwb adds: spiritual] destruction have I heard from the Lord God of hosts upon the whole land and the whole earth. – Isaiah 28:22 Amplified
The Four Amazing Spirits – Now at this particular time, which perhaps the Bible identifies as “In That Day,” what does God use to accomplish greater overcoming? He uses four amazing spirits. They are otherwise known as the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, which refers to Chapter Six of Revelation.
These four strong spirits, represented by horse and rider, are black for judgment scales, famine, drought and mass starvation, as in a drought of rhema teachings of truth; pale green or gray for bruising, death, hell following, sword and hunger; fiery red for anger, impatience, violence, war, removal of peace and strife unto killing one another; and white for conquering and convicting power of the Holy Spirit, with rider carrying a bow with no arrows and given a crown symbolizing a nonviolent rise to power.
Waves of Spirits Released – So God releases these powerful, but unseen, spirits in waves upon the earth! We are stirred up in black prejudice and judgment, gray despair and death, red anger and violence and eventually white conviction and repentance.
Thus when waves of such spirits hit the earth, people are stirred up. Wild things tend to happen, as with a full moon. During such wild stirrings, often our inner demons are exposed. We can use these opportunities to then fight our inner evil spirits who have come out to play, often without our overt permission! We repent and become overcomers in Christ. In conclusion, if we knew of this spiritual process, we might have greater victory over our inner demons! (It is an old process, but becoming ever stronger.)
Behold, the Lord has a strong and mighty agent;
As a storm of hail, a tempest of destruction,
Like a storm of mighty overflowing waters,
He has cast it down to the earth with His hand. – Isaiah 28:2 NASB
A Recent Example – Recently, a Cypress, California pediatrician was arrested because he became infuriated when another person cut in line while he was waiting in his car at a gas station. He grabbed a tire iron and confronted the line cutter, who called the police, who arrested the doctor. When interviewed by the local press, the doctor said he was embarrassed by his own surprising behavior. He said given the opportunity, he would never do that again. He even said, “Oh my God… We must pray… and be patient.” Thus did the White Spirit checkmate Red, one hopes.
See article and video: http://www.knbc.com/money/16560534/detail.html?rss=la&psp=news.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25081192/.
True End Times Truth – True end times eschatology is not fearful, not fear-mongering, not something for ministry leaders with egregious spirits to profit from by selling fear-based books, TV shows and conventions to escape-hungry, fear-hungry, distraction-hungry hordes. This loving and making lies puts sheep and shepherd in desolate whoremonger camps outside God’s gates. The blind lead the blind into ditches.
[But] without are the dogs and those who practice sorceries (magic arts) and impurity [the lewd, adulterers] [and rwb adds: the proud and excess loving prosperity televangelists who are false prophet wolves in sheep’s clothing using stage hypnotism and crowd control techniques to extort money and keep spiritually unaware the unsuspecting sheep] and the murderers and idolaters and everyone who loves and deals in falsehood (untruth, error deception, cheating). (Rev. 22:15, Amplified)
Such leaders of souls themselves have souls that look, well, rotten. Their fruit stinks. If they have enough money and power to be excessive, they will brandish excess! They worship it. And they call evil good and good evil, immersing their flock in nonsense.
But true end times truth helps humans be whole and keenly knowing, indwelt of God, heaven-on-earth expanding and eternally heaven bound. Such people have souls of which it can be said, “Only God can make a soul so beautiful.”
Enlightenment Unto Indwelling – And the remnant wise of the world can rejoice in the knowledge now available. They can lead the world in discerning now who has the right doctrine for today and eternity. The decision will be either to go the way of escape or to get escape out of the way. Which way gives enlightenment unto indwelling of God?
Rather than the “support-me-and-my-shenanigans-ye-must-not-see” witnessed of so many wayward televangelists, we need the brutal yet somehow pleasant honesty displayed by the above-mentioned repentant doctor and Dr. Laura Schlessinger.
Fight Your Inner Demons – You have to fight your inner demons. Don’t chuck the overcoming process of tribulation which surprises you because embarrassing evil spirits have been revealed. Don’t blind yourself to discerning logs in your eyes with Fanatic Faith mantras of escape. Don’t waste time with the never-ending intrigues of dispensational, dingdong rapture news. We must fight our inner demons.
“I, John, your brother and companion (sharer and participator) with you in the tribulation and kingdom and patient endurance [which are] in Jesus…” says the Revelator in chapter 1:9 Amplified.
Twice John records his weakness in worshipping an angel. This happens at the end of his astonishing career, even on the last page of the Bible! He shows us the spirit realm is difficult to get right. And he is wise to transparently expose his weakness, which strengthens his character and enables greater indwelling of God. Proud (and therefore weak) leaders defend themselves, but humble (and therefore strong) leaders transparently tell of their weak spots. Follow the example of John.
And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellow servant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. – Rev. 19:10
And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which showed me these things. Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellow servant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God. – Rev. 22:8-9
We Are Called to Spirit and Truth – Only Satanic pride of religion could make the popular doctrines of media Christianity so screwed up and gone to hell. Whereas John confesses he did wrong in the spirit twice in the last four chapters of the Bible, escapist Christian leaders refuse to reconsider their wrong doctrine that makes them unrestrained. Their wrong paths provide easy escape, but those paths are damnably destructive.
Only God could actually have a simpler, better way. God’s true path is tougher, but purer and surer for the soul. It is called worshiping God in spirit and truth. We are called to follow truth, no matter how painful. Then when we are with truth, we are with God and God is with us. And all will be well.
Rev. 22:21 Amplified:
“…the Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah) be with all the saints (God’s holy people, those set apart for God, to be, as it were exclusively His). [and rwb adds: to be now and evermore indwelt of God!] Amen (so let it be)!
I Pledge Allegiance Against Excess –Victor Davis Hanson, a history professor from Fresno, California, (http://pajamasmedia.com/victordavishanson/) has made the following modest proposal for liberals and “greens”:
“Will all the Greens, new-age environmentalists, Gorites, and Huffington Post Hollywood crowd, just make three simple pledges to match their deeds with their rhetoric? (1) I swear I will not fly on any gas-guzzling, carbon-footprinting private jet; (2) I swear I will not live in an energy-wasting house larger than 8,000 square feet; and (3) I swear that I will not drive a car that gets less than 25 mpg. That would be for most of us pretty easy to do; so will the prophets of the environment take the pledge and help the nation and planet?”
My question: Would it be a sin to ask televangelists to make a similar pledge of allegiance against excess? They say, “Admire our excess,” but Jesus the reverse:
Mat 23:25 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.
6/10/08 Dear Pastor Benjamin Walmalwa Khaemba; Bungoma, Kenya, Africa
Greetings in Christ’s beloved name.
I see in yesterday’s news, the computer company Apple Inc. announced their new 3G iPhone which, they say, will soon be available in seventy countries, including Kenya. It can browse the internet, take pictures, use GPS, do e-mail and just about everything but save a soul!
What, then, in this day will save a soul, a family, a nation? It is Christ, of course. He lived, died and lives again to save our souls, families and nations.
In the movie 1965 The Greatest Story Ever Told, a Roman general asks Herod a question about the Jews. He says, “Who is their messiah?” Herod replies, “Someone who will never come.” Today errant Christian leaders imply a similar sounding message in a devious sort of way; by teaching that Jesus does not come quickly to live indwelt in us. Rather, they teach to wait for Christ to independently come and rescue us from ourselves. In this, they do not seem to be actually acquainted with Christ.
So then, who is this Christ? Indeed, let us ponder the matter. With some certainty, we know Christ lived as a sinless man two thousand years ago, died for our sins and now sits at the right hand of Father God. The above mentioned movie has Jesus saying, “Do not labor for the food that perishes, but for that which endures, the food of eternal life.” What food, what truths, what is that for which we should labor?
More specifically, what doctrines of Christianity actually feed Christ’s sheep? What doctrines actually follow Christ and bring us therefore closer to Father God Himself? For there are many opposing Christian doctrines, but only one unified Christ. Let us battle to discover who, then, is Christ?
The war for truth in Christian doctrine has long been avoided because of the fear of battle. If one side is wrong, it is felt this is too divisive to all. Balderdash! If one side in the church is wrong, then its leaders must stop feeding their sheep wrong doctrine! Lies can never be truths and truths can never be lies. They are as distant from each other as heaven is from hell.
Now is the time for God’s elect to awaken out of deception and answer the call of truth. Of the elect it can be truly said the last shall be first. Of the wayward, the opposite.
And when we look at global Christian media ministries, we see many teachers who have made themselves mega rich through donations from the poor. These false teachers seem to have a hidden wisdom. Perhaps this hidden wisdom was spoken in the 1960 movie The Magnificent Seven by Eli Wallach. He played a charismatic Mexican bandit leader named Caldera. Caldera defended his robbing from the poor by saying, “If God didn’t want them sheared, He wouldn’t have made them sheep!”
What wayward doctrines have allowed this blasphemy to grow unchecked planetwide? Primarily, three doctrines of escape have been promulgated by false prophets who are ravenous wolves in sheep’s clothing.
The first false doctrine is called the Rapture, where believers are supposedly beamed away from tribulation aboard clouds of escape. Actually, Christ does not independently return to take us out of tribulations as a reward for believing in escape. Rather, Christ lives in us as He guides us with help from the cloud of praying saints of heaven and earth through the creative overcoming process; something that can simultaneously be tribulation, liberation, limiting, freeing, seemingly impossible, possible, judgment, forgiveness, dark, light, old, new, hellacious, heavenly and ultimately part of the restoration of all things of God. To avoid the restorative overcoming process, to prefer to be ignorant of its eternal blessings, to choose rather to believe it best to await a reward of escape for faith in escape is nothing but high insanity.
The second false doctrine is called the Imminent Second Coming. This purports that Christ will independently (again!) soon come to restore a Davidic Kingdom on earth where (again!) believers will be rewarded for their supine faith in escape from all maturity. But there is no such escape, return and reward. Rather, Christ will independently return only at the end of time and judge all. At that point, time is over. All, in fact, is over. Humankind is not ready for that end point of time. Let us pray that day is long delayed, for we have much work to do, and our progeny has much work to do, to increase the quickly coming, greatly manifesting Lord Jesus Christ of Nazareth in humankind.
For truly it is said, Jesus wants to manifest in every man, woman and child possible. Our religion must promote, not delay this will and plan of Father God almighty.
The third false doctrine of wayward Christianity is called Eternal Security. It holds the absurd belief that the ant gives us no lesson; that God prefers to bestow all of eternity’s rewards for no work whatsoever. Only great and marvelous intellectual dishonesty can successfully argue such dung. Since I am not interested in or able to fathom intellectual dung, I simply rely on the self-evident truth of the ant. The Bible defends the ant, and so do I.
These three doctrines comprise Triune Escapology. From belief in such comes much worse mischief. Let us look now at two miscreant doxies of deception. These deadly doctrines look delightfully charming on the surface, much as the appearance of beautiful blue icebergs. But underneath, these doxies of death delight in sinking unaware ships of speeding delusion.
These two errant doxies are insidiously clever because they build up the icebergs of teachers while nevertheless sinking the ships of sheep whom they teach. These doxies thus build up huge teaching ministries, and they justify themselves as God-ordained by the fact of their iceberg’s colossal size. Yet the leaders remain blind to the multitudes of damaged sheep whose ships they’ve sunk and lay rusting unseen in the unmentionable deep. Then again, any floating ships found as exceptions to the rule are advertised as ordinary proof of universal maritime benevolence.
These twin doxies of self-interest are the errant doctrines of Fanatic Faith and Extreme Prosperity. The latter promises an autonomous god will somehow nebulously shower you with coins, if you directly shower the ravenous wolf in sheep’s clothing with coins. Put crudely, you give to get screwed. The former promises an autonomous god will somehow nebulously shower you with every imaginable blessing if you a) so abuse your faith, b) so abuse scripture, c) so abuse God and d) directly shower the ravenous wolf in sheep’s clothing with coins. Put crudely, you beat up your faith to build up the faith of a ravenous wolf in sheep’s clothing.
And what of these ravenous wolves of Fanatic Faith and Extreme Prosperity? They have paid a price for their devious self-aggrandizement at the expense of impoverished sheep. Though they live in many mansions, their manners are cold. Though they fly high in extravagantly expensive jets, their money grubbing ways are low. Though their intellects delight in proclaiming the so-called gospel truth, their spirits delight in promulgating their own witness of greed, ego, pride and witchcraft dominion. Though plastic surgery and miracles of television showmanship make them appear full of everlasting life, their compromises in character made to broadcast God’s good has resulted in worldwide confusion, consternation and death. For the heathen world looks at Christendom’s broadcast insanity and decides – perhaps rightly – to have none of it until it becomes more God indwelt and sane.
From all of this, what then can we conclude? Is there no hope? Is there no way? Is there no God? Is there no answer? Fear not! God reigns. God is good. God provides a way to salvation on earth and in heaven.
What, then, is this way? Is it not the way of all who are wise? Have there not always been wise men, wise women, aged folk who remain suspicious of all in whom we need be suspicious? Have not these wise saints of the village of humanity always applauded those noble human beings whom we must indeed honor? This remnant of wisdom steadfastly honors the God-indwelt and rejects all false prophets of deception and extravagance.
And what is wisdom but the love of a few primary traits found in the rarified blood of human kindness? And are not these traits the liberty of self-restraint, faith in the goodness of good, enmity against the evil of evil and hope against all that is the enemy of hope? This list can be shortened to just one word, love. And we know God is love. So all this is simply mankind’s part in becoming one with love, who is in truth, God.
Now this becoming one with God is a mysterious thing. Paul wrote about it quite a lot. Jesus talked about it quite a lot. And now is the time for us to do it quite a lot.
What stands in our way with becoming one with God are false doctrines. They give us bad spirits. And God cannot abide, which is to say live with, lies nor evil spirits. The solution? Disavow wrong doctrines; work with God’s overcoming process to remove wrong spirits and renew our minds; be patient through trials and tribulations; never give up; and be a witness of Christ’s overcoming blood and resurrection life in us now dwelling.
Do all this, and you will be spiritually rich. I cannot guarantee that you will ever be carnally rich, nor can anyone guarantee you will be carnally rich.
But I can say with a fair amount of certainty that the greater your spiritual eyes and ears, the more opportunities you will see in all realms. Teachers using delusion on their students make them easily deluded and abused by others. But a true teacher of light refuses to use wiles of deception, in fact exposes methods of delusion and helps students be not such soft targets of prey.
Like John, I hope your soul truly prospers. And we all tend to underestimate just how much work it takes to allow God to renew our soul. No doubt the process continues in heaven. No doubt we would do well not to wait for our day in heaven, but fervently seek all soul improvement possible in our days here on earth.
But having said this, I would not be surprised to hear from other overcomers that with soul growth does come some meaningful improvements in the natural realm. This doesn’t always happen, mind you. Be prepared for vicious spikes in vicissitudes of direction and intensity that no sane person wants to experience. Mysterious are the ways of our Creator.
Nevertheless trust God in all things. Then, the higher you go in God, whereupon He lives and manifests in you at astonishingly high levels, you might be surprised to discover God will, in turn, trust you in all things.
This co-dependency is of God design. Thus if we want prosperity independent of God and his true doctrines, we might get prosperity – but with it inescapable woes. Conversely, God might want to carnally prosper us, but nothing good will happen to us until we learn to work with God on earth to achieve His blessings that contain no sorrows.
It is hard to overemphasize that your duty in achieving such prosperity on earth as can be had, is to invest your time, money and resources as wise as a serpent and as harmless as a dove. Your duty is not to build the prosperity extremist’s cold and cruel iceberg ministry in order to receive a wayfaring mariner’s blessings from God. Do this, and you are co-conspirator with ship-sinking ministries of deception. Your only blessing then becomes to not sink, not drown and hopefully someday see a beacon of true light. Rather, believe that God’s keen insight, mind and will can inevitably be yours as a shared blessing if you prove to God you can be trusted with higher truths, higher ways and the higher power that comes with higher income. The emotionally cold captains of extreme prosperity ministries prove their callous disregard for abuse in power with each Matthew 23:25 “excess” purchase they make funded by extortion. The fruit of ravening wolves in sheep’s clothing is always rotten, as Jesus said.
So there you have it. God is not an autonomous robot that spits out blessings like a winning slot machine at a casino. Nor is God desirous to see us cursed. God is a good God wanting to live in us in harmonious beauty to expand heaven on earth. To do that, we must not be conflicted with the ugliness of soul sin or the madness of wrong dogma.
The obvious answer is something popular Christian ministry leaders are loathe to dare whisper. It is to simply reject wrong doctrine, repent massively for years of whoredom with wrong doctrines, embrace the right doctrines, begin greater overcoming processes and become cleaner vessels for God to indwell.
Popular Christian ministries teach variations of Triune Escapology, Fanatic Faith and Extreme Prosperity. These doxies are messing up the world, or more precisely, brain washing minds of the world. These minds need to develop into the mind of Christ, and be thus indwelt of God. These minds need shepherding by true shepherds. These minds need to be victorious in a New Millennium of simultaneous a) perils of endemic pandemonium with b) counterpoising creative enterprises of God’s powerful expansion of heaven on earth. This is the restoration of all things.
And what of the elect? Well, the awakened elect have the onerous (but high privilege) duty of exposing the ravenous wolves, helping the sheep fight for truth and giving them well-taught shepherds. Such elect live in a somewhat different disposition. Almost always appearing to be last on earth, and given only limited wherewithal for heroic assignments, perhaps God’s elect shall indeed be first when all is said and done.
Thus the leader of the men of war in The Magnificent Seven, the actor Yul Brynner playing Chris Adams (Christ, the Second Adam?) says at the end of the movie, “The old man was right. We lost. The farmers always win. We always lose.” This, of course, refers to the high maxim that sometimes the only way to win is to lose.
This is something the Devil has a hard time understanding. Even we sometimes have a hard time understanding the gain of loss. Thus Chris’ nemesis, Calvera, cannot believe the Magnificent Seven came back to save the villagers. With his dying breath he asks, “You came back. Why?”
Just before the movie ends, we hear the answer. The wise old man of the village, played by the gentle and beatific Vladimir Sokoloff, says goodbye to the remaining warriors. He says, “Vayan con Dios,” which is to say, “Go with God.” Perhaps the salute is an effort to honor each brave one of past, present and future who dedicates his or her eternal life – whatever it takes – to “Be with God.”
It is an echo we hear in the conclusion of David’s beloved Psalm 23: “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.”
This is why we come, we love, we lose and we conquer: To be now and ever with God.
I pray you, and all others, receive this message with God's truth and spirit.
Hoping all in Christ,
Robert Winkler Burke
Reno, Nevada USA
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