JesusBloggers.com

“And God blessed them. And God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.’” (Genesis 1:28)

Mankind was created to be in dominion over the rest of the created order. The Fall messed things up. Man relinquished dominion over the earth to Satan, the ruler of the kingdom of the air (Eph 2:2). But all that has changed with Christ. The Kingdom of God is now here and yet it must be ushered in by Christians. Christians are to have dominion once again. That dominion doesn’t simply cover the flora and fauna of this world. Christians are to have dominion over the government. The constitution is to be the Old Testament Law. This kingdom is to be brought in by placing Christians in government who will change the system from the inside out. If that fails to bring a totality of change, then change will be made by the sword. This is the basis of Dominion Theology, or Kingdom Now Theology.

Dominion Theology, to varying degrees, has been around for centuries. Frankly it is the view held by pious Jews who were quite bewildered by the thought of a Messiah not throwing off the oppressors of Israel and enacting an earthly kingdom. But where the current version of this theological system finds its origins is in the teachings of R.J. Rushdoony in the 1960s and 70s under the term Reconstructionism.

Rushdoony (1916-2001), a minister of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, taught there has been a Cultural Mandate in place since creation. This mandate dictates that the Christian is to have dominion over ever sphere of life. Christianity is not to focus merely on the spiritual transformation of its members. Instead, the wider scope of the Church’s Mission is to transform society as a whole. Therefore, the proper activity for the New Covenant Church is to enact Theonomy (from theos, meaning God, and nomos, meaning law). The Law of the Old Covenant would be reinforced upon the modern populace, with sacrificial laws and other laws negated in the New Testament being the obvious exceptions. Therefore, homosexuals, false prophets, idolaters, et al, would be executed. Democracy and freedom of religion would no longer define the United States of America. Instead, it would be a Theocracy, with Christianity ruling by the sword.

Rushdoony himself was an intense post-millennial Calvinist. He argued that the extraordinary gifts of the Holy Spirit had ceased after the end of the New Testament’s writing. Yet, many heirs of Rushdoony’s beliefs are in fact pre-millennial Charismatic Arminians. It is this group that has extended the theological system from the thoughts of a few, to the teachings of many.

So what?

Sure, there are all kinds of crazy beliefs out there. But why does this matter? Why read about what some kind of wacko believes?

I surely am not advocating that we learn of the errors of others so that we may puff ourselves up, claiming with pride that we have it right and all other poor saps have it wrong. We are told many times in Scripture to test and judge what others teach. Jesus himself warned us of wolves coming among the flock. The flock needs to know what a wolf looks like so the wolves can be tested, and judged to be wolves for the protection of the flock.

Dangers

While voting for Christians doesn’t seem like a bad thing, the Charismatic form of Dominion Theology (more specifically called Kingdom Now Theology by many) asserts an extreme way of changing the society at large.

Joel’s Army

Joel chapter two shows an army of locusts stripping away Israel. This army was destroying all that was good in Israel as judgment for their sin. Yet, Dominionism declares that section of Joel to be prophetic of the end times (and has no validity if interpreted as a historical event) and that army in fact is an army of God, ushering in Armageddon as Christ.

The Holy Spirit will change many members of the last generation (which is explained as this generation). They will not be normal men and women but endowed with the Holy Spirit so as to do things which normal humanity cannot do. They will make up an army (yes, a literal weapon wielding army) that will conquer the world as Christ.

That’s not a typo; I did not say conquer the world for Christ. They seek to conquer the world as Christ. They deny a literal physical return of Christ, instead they assert that the Church itself is Christ and the subjugation of the enemies of God by Christ will actually be performed by the Church and specifically by the Spirit endowed Joel’s Army.

Antichrist

The antichrist has been a lightening rod of attention by the church over these past two millennia (almost two that is). The Church, as well as various nuts, has identified different individuals as either the antichrist or an antichrist. But what exactly is an antichrist and what are they to do?

Antichrist naturally is a Greek word in which a prefix has been added to the word Christ. In English, we see the prefix anti- and immediately assume it means against; as one who is anti-abortion is against abortion and in favor of the opposite. So we assume that antichrist simply means one who is against Christ. Therefore, any non-Christian would be an antichrist.

But the English word antichrist is a bit misleading. The Greek word carries a different meaning by form and by context. By form the prefix, anti, has against in its range of meanings as well as in place of, instead of. By form, rather than meaning one who is against Christ, it can carry a much darker meaning. By context, it can be seen to carry this darker meaning.

For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the antichrist. 2 John 7

3Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, 4who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God…. 8Then the lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming; 9that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, 10 and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. 2 Thess 2:3-4,8-10

So we see here that antichrist is one who denies the coming of Christ in the flesh, and more specifically, one who exalts himself to the position and rank and even person of Christ. The antichrist replaces Christ. He is an instead of Christ.

Joel’s Army=Antichrist?

We have seen that the Dominionists assert that their army will march through all the earth, putting the enemies of God under their foot. They deny that Christ will return to accomplish this task as they will do it. They assert that they in fact are Christ. They deny Christ’s coming again in the flesh, and assert that they will indeed take the office of Christ, replacing Christ. They are an instead of Christ.

Who even holds to this? Won’t we be able to see this coming?

Upon discovering this and researching it, I was shocked that I had not seen it long ago. I was shocked as to how far it has spread and who is a follower. Here is a list of people who hold to this aberrant theological system from one degree to another.

• Todd Bentley 
  • He was supposed to be a general in Joel’s Army, that may have changed because of recent issues he and his wife are having
• The entire group behind the Lakeland revival
• Peter Wagner (Open Theist, extreme Charismatic, self-declared apostle)
• Earl Paulk (same as above)
• Paul Cain
• The “Kansas City Prophets”
• RJ Rushdoony (Calvinistic, noncharismatic)
• Gary North (Calvinistic, noncharismatic)
• Pat Robertson (from what I can tell, he’s not a full-fledged Joel’s Army guy yet)
• Trinity Broadcasting Network (they have so many false doctrines, it’s hard to name just one!)
• Lou Engle
  • The Call (this movement is based on the Joel text where they also get Joel’s Army from)
• Godtv 
  • I am on their email list (I wanted to be kept up to speed as to what was going on in Lakeland) and every email sent is in the same spirit as extreme Dominion Theology. And they certainly support the ministries of these radicals.
• John Wimber (Vineyard Church)
• Rick Joyner
• Christian broadcasting
  • [Gary] North describes the ‘three major legs of the Reconstructionist movement [as] the Presbyterian oriented educators, the Baptist school headmasters and pastors, and the charismatic telecommunications system‘.” (Public Eye Magazine Vol 8 #1 and 2, 1994 Mar/Jun)
• Possibly Sarah Palin
  • A lot of left-wing media is placing Palin squarely in the Joel’s Army camp. While this is done to show her to be a wacko, they may have a point. The churches she is or has been a part of in Alaska seem to be Dominionist churches.
• Others
  • I have been inundated with information on this subject. I haven’t been able to order my thoughts well. This topic has been quite troubling to me.

I believe that rather than write more, I would like to respond to any comments and questions that are posted.

In closing, I wish to say this:

It is not my aim to point out false doctrine in order to puff myself up. It is my desire to protect the sheep. This particular false doctrine is an especially dangerous wolf in sheep’s garb. The shepherd and the sheep need to know what to look out for in order to be safe.

May God grant us discernment.

This offer is for a limited time only.

Simply sign the guestbook at Ligonier Ministries.

I just received an update from Huck PAC on their sanctity of life petition. See below:

Over the last 48 hours over 20,000 voters have signed our Sanctity of Life Petition. If you haven’t done so, I urge you to take a moment now and add your name to the growing list of concerned voters. It will take less than 60 seconds of your time and it is a great way to show our support for Life.

With only days until the Election our goal is to energize pro-life voters across the nation and remind them of the significance of this election. A President Obama and a Democrat majority in the Congress is a threat to our efforts to overturn Roe v. Wade. A President Obama working with a Democrat Senate Majority would be able to pack the courts with activist judges.  We cannot let that happen.

Pro-Life voters cannot afford to sit this election out. We must rally around McCain-Palin and conservatives nationwide. The polls are tightening as Election Day approaches. Help me remind voters nationwide that this election has consequences and every effort should be made to turn out the vote nationwide in support of our issues.

That is why I hope you will sign our petition today (if you haven’t already) and then send it to friends and family.

If you have signed our petition, I urge you to consider contacting friends and family and ask them to do the same. Over 5,000 signatures have been gathered this way.

Our goal is 100,000 signatures by Election Day. We have made a great first step towards our goal but we still have many more to go.  We need your help.

Sign our petition to protect the Sanctity of Life today.

Fighting for our values,

Mike Huckabee

Stryder is learning to pull himself to a standing position as he does Danny and I sing to him “Stand up Stand up for Jesus ye Soldiers of the Cross”. So I decided to look up the story behind this hymn. I’m learning to be amazed by the lives of hymn writers.

1858 was quiet a year in US history. Men flocked to the west for gold, Indians and Africans were mistreated, small pox and yellow fever were rampant, immigrants continued to be mistreated, the country was on the brink of war, women began to be more outspoken and feminism began to emerge. Men were hungry for hope and truth and were beginning to seek it out in various forms including Mormonism. Yet it was during this time that Young Dudley Atkins Tying, boldly preached from Exodus 10:11, “Ye that are men, go and serve the Lord.”

On March 40, 1858, over 5,000 men gathered for a mass meeting sponsored by the YMCA. Over 1,000 of the men were converted; the sermon was called “one of the most successful of the time”; the entire city was being aroused; a religious awakening was gaining force.  And then it happened when hope, and truth were beginning to surface Satan attacked.

On April 13, Dudley was witnessing the operation of a corn-thrasher in his barn.  Raising his arm to pat the head of his mule which was walking up the inclined lane of the machine, the loose sleeve of his morning gown was caught between the cogs.  His arm was lacerated severely, the main artery severed and the median nerve injured.  Six days later, he died.

The minister was taken in the prime of his life, the awakening that God was using him to stir was in jeopardy of dying without a beloved leader. Yet, God prevailed. Dudley’s last words: “Stand up for Jesus, father; stand up for Jesus; and tell my brethren of the ministry, wherever you meet them, to stand up for Jesus.” These words inspired his friend, Rev. George Duffield, Jr., to write this hymn.

            Stand up, stand up for Jesus,

            ye soldiers of the cross;

            lift high his royal banner,

            it must not suffer loss.

            From victory unto victory

            his army shall he lead,

            till every foe is vanquished,

            and Christ is Lord indeed.

            Stand up, stand up for Jesus,

            the trumpet call obey;

            forth to the mighty conflict,

            in this his glorious day.

            Ye that are brave now serve him

            against unnumbered foes;

            let courage rise with danger,

            and strength to strength oppose.

            Stand up, stand up for Jesus,

            stand in his strength alone;

            the arm of flesh will fail you,

            ye dare not trust your own.

            Put on the gospel armor,

            each piece put on with prayer;

            where duty calls or danger,

            be never wanting there.

            Stand up, stand up for Jesus,

            the strife will not be long;

            this day the noise of battle,

            the next the victor’s song.

            To those who vanquish evil

            a crown of life shall be;

            they with the King of Glory

            shall reign eternally.

I’m going to a lady’s small group on Monday nights and we were asked to tell each other what we long for.

At the current moment I long to be content.

After small group I went home and told Danny this and he asked me what I meant by “content”. I told him I wanted to be like Stryder. Danny recently posted a picture of Stryder with an ear infection. He doesn’t look worried or pained. In fact he never even fussed about his ear infection. A good friend of mine told a story about how her son was hanging upside down in his johnny jump up, and he didn’t seem worried about it. In fact he enjoyed it. Oh to be a child again…to not know how to worry or fear or plan.

According to dictionary.com content means to be satisfied with what one is or has; not wanting more or anything else. The aposlte Paul learne how to be content (Philipians 4:10-13).

I think my biggest hurdle in this area is that I’m a planner. I always want to know what’s around the corner, and I want to be prepared. I look at the next step in life and it always seems exciting… until I get there and then I want to go back to where I was. 

Now that I’ve reached my life goal: motherhood. I just long to be content.. to relish in the here and now.. to live each moment to its fullest. Jesus came to give life abundantly. Who am I to rob the Lord of bestowing this gift to me? Worrying about the next phase in life does nothing.

This may not be your longing. You may have already learned to be content. If that’s the case, I encourage you to pray that the Lord reveal your longing to you and then pray that God will equip you to accept His gift of abundant life.

MARY
by Max Lucado

* * * * * * *
“Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among
those reclining at the table with him. Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an
expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair.
And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume”
(John 12:2–3 NIV).
* * * * * * *

Marys are gifted with praise. They don’t just sing; they worship. They don’t simply
attend church; they go to offer praise. They don’t just talk about Christ; they
radiate Christ.

Marys have one foot in heaven and the other on a cloud. It’s not easy for them to
come to earth, but sometimes they need to. Sometimes they need to be reminded that
there are bills to be paid and classes to be taught. But don’t remind them too
harshly. Flutes are fragile. Marys are precious souls with tender hearts. If they
have found a place at the foot of Jesus, don’t ask them to leave. Much better to ask
them to pray for you.

That’s what I do. When I find a Mary (or a Michael), I’m quick to ask, “How do I get
on your prayer list?”

Every church desperately needs some Marys.
We need them to pray for our children.
We need them to put passion in our worship.
We need them to write songs of praise and sing songs of glory.
We need them to kneel and weep and lift their hands and pray.

We need them because we tend to forget how much God loves worship. Marys don’t
forget. They know that God wants to be known as a father. They know that a father
likes nothing more than to have his children sit as his feet and spend time with
him.

Marys are good at that.

They, too, must be careful. They must meditate often on Luke 6:46. “Why do you call
me ‘Lord, Lord,’ but do not do what I say?” Marys need to remember that service is
also worship.

If God has called you to be a Mary, then worship! Remind the rest of us that we
don’t have to be busy to be holy. Urge us with your example to put down our
clipboards and megaphones and be quiet in worship.

_____________________________
From Cast of Characters
Copyright (W Publishing Group, 2008) Max Lucado
http://maxlucado.com/castofcharacters/

“Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.” Psalms 37:4

After hearing the sermon my pastor taught on Sunday [which was, by the way, totally for me!], I realized something new…not that I had not noticed it before or believed it before, but it dawned on me that the Lord’s “giving” of the desires of your heart is in HIS timing. The light bulb “clicked”. Ha…I wish I realized this earlier; it would have saved me a lot of worry and grief.

Also, did you know that Abram waited more than my whole lifetime for God’s promise of a child!!! Wow…so that shows me, everything that God wills for my life will take place in His timing and all I have to do is seek His face and wait.

Eagerly Wait.

Patiently Wait.

Contently Wait.

Wait.

Wait.

Wait.

The following is an email I received from Huck PAC today. I recommend signing the petition. You may or may not have supported Mike Huckabee’s candidacy for president, but this is something we can all get behind.

**************************************

I support and have always supported passage of a constitutional amendment to protect the right to life. My convictions regarding the sanctity of life have always been clear and consistent, without equivocation or wavering. I believe that Roe v. Wade should be over-turned.  I know there are millions of Americans who believe as I do. All are concerned about the negative impact an Obama presidency and a Democrat controlled Congress will have on the Courts and the fight to overturn Roe v. Wade if they should win this Election Day.  We cannot let that happen. If you are as concerned about this issue as I am, I urge you to sign our “I Support The Sanctity of Life” petition today. Our goal is to identify 100,000 pro-Life voters by Election Day and have them sign the petition. I hope you will be one of the first to sign the petition and then forward it to friends and family. We will track our progress on the front page of our website. With less than 20 days to go, time is of the essence so please contact your co-workers, friends at church, family and whoever else you can think of who is willing to sign this petition. During the presidential campaign we relied on networks of friends to turn out the vote and distribute information. Our Bloggers, Meetups, Huck’s Army, Facebook and MySpace groups led the way online. We accomplished great things working together. Time after time, I have read the comments on our blog asking for the next assignment. This is it. Blog about it, post a message on twitter, post a message to your social networking profile or just pick up the phone and make some calls to friends and family. However you can spread the word and encourage voters to sign our petition. To me, life doesn’t begin at conception and end at birth. Every child deserves a quality education, first-rate health care, decent housing in a safe neighborhood, and clean air and drinking water. Every child deserves the opportunity to discover and use his God-given gifts and talents. I know you agree. Let’s remind the Barack Obama and the Democrats that the constituency of pro-life voters is alive and well.  Sign our petition today! With deep gratitude, Mike Huckabee

I am writing this article and watching game seven of the ALCS between the Boston RedSox and the Tampa Bay Rays. Dustin Pedroia just hit a home run with one out in the top of the first to put the Sox up 1-0. The term “destiny” causes many Evangelicals to shudder because it has a connotation to mysticism and paganism. However, I think that destiny is a very biblical concept. “Calling” or “providence” may be more comfortable terms for many.

If any baseball team has destiny attached to it, it would be the RedSox. While they haven’t had any problem putting away the last two World Series, they did face certain elimination in the League Championship Series preceding each of them. In 2004 they were down 3 games to none against the Yankees. They had to win 4 games in a row to get to the World Series. And they did.

In 2007 they were down 3 games to 1 against the Indians. They had to win 3 in a row to stay alive. This year, 2008, finds them in the same situation as last year. They were down 3 games to 1 against the Rays and have managed to tie up the series 3 to 3. Whoever wins tonight goes to the World Series. Statistically, the achievements of the RedSox are an anomaly. There is an air of destiny about them.

Are some of us destined for greatness and others for insignificance?

For mercy?

For judgment?

Was Abram destined to be the father of the people of God or was he chosen at random from the men available at the time?

Was Joseph destined to rise to the second-highest position of authority in Egypt? Did the LORD choose him specifically to rise to the occasion or was he the most convenient candidate?

What if Abram had said, “I don’t know if I’m up for fathering nations. Maybe you should find another shmuck to try that out on?” or if Joseph had said to Potiphar’s wife, “Yes, you are indeed beautiful, I will lie with you.”

Was there room for deviation by these players or were they destined to fulfill the plans that the LORD had laid before them?

Are the RedSox destined to win back to back World Series championships in 2007 and 2008? I doubt it. But maybe, just maybe, God’s plan is way bigger than I could ever conceive.

I serve a big God.

The score is still 1-0 in the third inning. You can be sure I’ll keep you updated.

In no particular order:

1. Calvinism and Evangelism by Tim Challies
2. Was That Worship??? by Doug Eaton
3. Thoughts About Taking Communion by Scott Uselman
4. Living for God’s Glory – New from Joel Beeke by Deborah Finnamore
5. God and ‘My Rights’ by Ben Witherington
6. Why Not Destroy the Devil Now by John Piper
7. Top Five Commentaries on the Book of Ecclesiastes by Keith Mathison
   I recommend this only because I happen to be reading Ecclesiastes right now, not because it’s a spectacular read.
8. God Saves Sinners by Dr. J. I. Packer
9. The Sovereignty of God by SJ Camp
   I particularly enjoyed the excerpt from Spurgeon at the end.
10. Red Sox comeback: Play-by-play
    I couldn’t help but include this one.