God, as I looked in the mirror I wanted to scream at the top of my lungs and warn everyone of the false doctrines and the end of world views that is slowly poisoning and reconstructing the many  teachings and descriptions  of  You , Jesus and Israel and the world to come. I can see the twisting of  the truth , but it is hard to see the falsehoods if you are not paying attention.  Some seem harmless but others are making me crazy by how they are taking your simple message adding works  to salvation as if your grace wasn’t enough, before you will come again and in some cases it is heretical.  I see messages that diminish your power by focusing to strengthen ours, all with Jesus bumper stickers  plastered all over it.  New or repackaged lines of thought that effect the spiritual themes we hear. It is frightening to me how these” new movements of god”,  not all of them, can effect how we walk out our faith and point us to a false grace and redefine spiritual authority.  Dominion Theology, Kingdom Now, Replacement Theology, New Covenant Theology and many more that in some way are coupled with  how we are to treat Israel,  the nation. This has ramifications if not taken seriously.

God, I have to know, did You really mean that You would bless those who blessed Israel and curse those who curse Israel?  Are some of these theologies  that no longer believe Israel  is the apple of Your eye, treading down a path of destruction?  God I need your help to open the curtain and put the entire truth on display.  I am not talking about having disagreements within a church God, I am talking about changes over in theology that is infecting a belief system while at the same still preaching your abbreviated word, healing and producing signs and wonders.

I feel like I am  a lone voice that is crying out from the wilderness, whose heart hurts for my friends who are traveling down a path that on the outside is neat and groovy filled with shining things of god  and makes  LOGICAL sense.  My generation, the flower kids, is at it again trying to get a Dr. Feelgood Doctrine out of this and a sense of purpose that FEELS right. As I listen to what maybe a false gospel, I yearn for you more and become more frightened at the same time, because something seems to be missing.  I can sense the danger here, though many would disagree with me, because after all “we are doing good work here.”   So are the Shriner’s but they are still Masons.

In the end, I would rather worship you in my living room every morning and wait to feel your presence envelop me then force a spiritual encounter  and use a spiritual power that might not be mine to use, based on step by step teachings on how to activate you presence, which might not be.  Don’t get me wrong, I have felt your presence, I have known you are there  and I yearn for you terribly, but I don’t want to be deceived like  I have in the past.  The best way to spend time with you  is to spend time with You alone in a quiet place and invite you in.  If these are in fact false doctrines and teachings, the  leadership of those ministries have the potential to bring with that doctrine unclean spirits that will attach to him/her, pointing a way from You. Misery enjoys company and will certainly  attract other unclean spirits along the way.  I do not want to risk separation from You even in my ignorance which You have given me grace for in my past.  God I know  I can  be off course a 1/1000 of a degree as I start a journey and I will get to my destination within a mile, but over time and distance I will lose sight of the destination.  Today I am the closest I have ever been to You and my desire to get closer has introduced me to wonderful people who share the same desire, but while the desire might be the same, some of the motives have different goals, I am afraid.

All of this started when our  prayer group split up due to different beliefs about judgment and the end world view and how to walk out or work out  our faith.  All good people who have a heart for Jesus.   At first I thought it was more about what the group’s  personalities and leadership goals that caused the split.  However, then  I started asking questions based on some of the Facebook posts I was seeing.    I saw pronouncements from Pastors, on of which my friend was following that declared he did not support an end world view that would empower a disempowered devil.  Well God that was an opinion.  There were other posts that had a lot of truths I believed in, but within the message were statements and declarations that caused my spirit  to jump, and not for joy.  I had to ask, where’s the truth in that?  The point is God, it all sounds good, but I am not sure it is biblical.  When  I asked one of my friends  how does Revelation 12 and 13 play into this disempowered devil view since the Anti-Christ is mentioned. I was told to watch a video about wrath from one of the new spiritual up and comers  who said he was  preterist, which is not a new line of thought.  It is just getting repackaged within the Dominion Theology doctrines.  More about that later.  I came away hearing that the Anti-Christ wasn’t coming like the Bible says.   My world was rocked, I heard a message that was not a line in the sand, talking about having the Fear of the Lord but it was a trail a sidewinder would leave, running through the sand, weaving in and out of scripture.  Using literal terms in one instance and then allegories in another.  Father I was sacred, I heard what was being said but somehow while it all made sense something inside me felt like the truth was being hidden. It was like on one side of my peripheral vision,  I had a blinder and could not see what was to the right.

I never heard of Partial Preterism before and I have read many books, You know that.  This guy was mocking my beliefs and saying that consequences for sin are not relevant we are forgiven past, present and future, which is true, but it felt like my behavior today had no consequences, because I believe in You only.  He said a hurricane is a hurricane, not  a judgment from You based on actions of a nation.   He said that Jesus came in 70 AD, destroyed the temple, judged Israel and turned  the Church over to the Gentiles, replacing the nation of Israel with only the believers in Christ.  The Old Covenant with Israel was replaced with a new one and that Israel the nation was  displaced with the destruction of the temple.  There was no more judgments or wrath coming because Your Seven judgments and bowls of wrath have passed as laid out in the book Revelation and Daniel.

Gee whiz, Jesus spent a lot of time with John having him write the book of Revelation, if what they say is true it is a bit anti-climatic. Jesus created a big splash with his birth, ministry, death and resurrection and we are still talking about it.  I would think this might have the same impact, you are pretty good with leaving an impression.  Sure it was a very bad day in Jerusalem in 70 AD, but not in biblical proportions.    This gentleman said the Jews couldn’t get it right and now the nation is left behind.  They say the we are the new Israel, not the nation but the church. Again it sounds good, but is it?

Did you change your covenant with Israel or add to it?  If you changed it and we don’t get it right will you break Your new covenant with us?  God you are my only constant, this doctrine implies your not.  I thought  that with Jesus’ resurrection Your law would be written on our  hearts and open to anyone not just Israel.  They also said that there is no more judgments, no more wrath,  Jesus is now reigning and he is waiting for His Church to spread through the Earth without spot or blemish before Jesus will return.  Again certain groups are using your words pushing this line of thought forward.  As it is on Earth as it is in Heaven  being coupled with many little beliefs and opinions and passed off as the doctrine of our true commission.  This sounds great  but what does that actually mean? That puts the onus on us to do something additionally before He comes back. What if we don’t get it right.   I thought we were to preach the gospel to the whole world before His return.  That I can do.  I also thought Jesus’ reign would be a 1000 year reign, but to make this work I guess we have to change Your word “one thousand” to mean a “really long time” until the “church” gets its act together. If that is the case, why would we need Jesus if we can be perfected without spot or blemish by our works or even need to Him to come back then. What makes us think we can get this right, when our history shows that we always screw it up even with the best of intentions.   It seems like a lot work over an above love your neighbor as yourself and accepting Jesus as our Lord and Savior and live that truth out in our lives as a servant for Christ preaching the Gospel. I certainly don’t see Jesus enemies’ bowing before Him at the moment.

Have I understood everything they are saying and representing perfectly here, probably not, but I should not have to reason the truth out and wrap my head around it.  My experience is the  truth sticks.

The central question for me at the moment is the question about Israel, if the theology supports her or doesn’t and what You God will do about it.

Where were the two witnesses back in 70 AD, if that was the tribulation? That was a pretty significant chapter in Revelation, no one wrote that episode down in the history books, so obviously everyone didn’t see it.  I thought Jesus was supposed to come on the clouds and  would return in person as well.   God, I thought only you know when you are going to send Jesus to judge the living and the dead like a thief in the night.  If judgment was 70AD, I think it was the Roman Army riding in on a cloud of dust not Jesus.  Correct me if I am wrong, but upon His coming back, Jesus  would assume his kingship on Earth. According to this, Jesus was invisible.   I heard one of these minister say that the Bible requires the principles of prophetic interpretation in an email exchange we had..   Another said, that we should consider changing our political views and foreign policy because of it and not go to the aid of Israel anymore. At least he was honest and did not hide his views.

Here is the rub, once people take Your word or twist Your words and start forming political agenda around it, it becomes a cause and a crusade.  Jesus was very clear not to confuse the two.

But wait God there is more.  As I dug deeper I found terms like Emergent Church, New Apostolic Reformation A.K.A. Dominion Theology, Kingdom Know, Prosperity, Health & Wealth/Pentacostalism,  The Seeker-Sensitive/Church Growth, etc… etc…. and what they espouse.  I was no longer naive to what is happening inside our church walls.  We are being attacked from within, with spiritual sensationalism, feel good doctrine,  spiritual authority and a rulership doctrine that feeds on man’s core nature.  We are being lured to become powerful in our spiritual nature not as a by-product of our faith and your calling on our lives. There is thread here that says you can be more, while leaving out the part, than what God would have for you.  It looks to me like the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil still has apples Satan wants us to pick.  Everything I have experienced walking with you God does not have that attraction.

You say that I am to walk out my faith and my faith will move mountains.  I am still working on that. My experience has been about walking with You and see the miracles happen along the way.  I liken these ministries to something that happened to me years ago. God remember when I had all those French Angora rabbits and I planted the tomatoes.   I used the pellets for fertilizer and since it was free fertilizer why settle for a balanced approach to bountiful gardening. They were big and beautiful,  and the day came when they were ready for picking.   I picked one the biggest vine ripe tomato there was.  It was beautiful  and as I took a bite waiting for that moment when man and tomato were one.  The tomato had the essence of rabbit crap.  By all accounts it looked like a tomato, bright red, juicy and firm. It was  picture perfect all right until you took a bite.  This is what I am afraid of will happen to my friends. These leaders will get their reward on Earth as you have said, I leave them to you, but what are my friends exposing themselves to. The issue of Israel might be the rabbit pellets that sour the picture perfect vision of, On Earth as it is in Heaven.

When I investigated these movements I wanted to put faces to these movements.   I was shocked, these are big churches, with huge worldwide followings.  I had listened to all of these persons at some point in my life and now that I have heard the lingo being used my eyes are open and I don’t have to take a bite to know what some of these messages are filled with.

Some of the nuances are harmless enough but some can be dangerous and the messages seem to overlap which can cause a lot of confusion. I know that you are aware of this but I have been calling this out to my friends.  Some tell me to slow down, take it easy, just take what you like and leave the rest,  these are Men of God …….. They are doing good things, be careful where you tread…….

BUT as I was crying out to you in my anger about this, trying to figure out what to do and, I heard you say,  “YOU MATTER.”  I STOPPED DEAD IN MY TRACKS.   I wept for You in my boxer briefs in the middle of my bathroom, with the shower running as I was getting ready for work. I didn’t have to try a special meditation or follow a secret praying formula, I just reached out to You like I am doing now, with no more answers than when I started, except that You love me.  I can’t do this alone, I need You.

Thank you Father,    For me, at that moment, it mattered that I knew the Truth. While my mantle maybe to clearly articulate what is being said and how it has effected my little world,  God,  You said, I MATTERED.  My salvation mattered, you never turn from me and I don’t think you would do that to Israel either.  If I matter, then they matter.  It matters to me because I  listened to the conviction of the Holy Spirit, my eyes have been opened and I can see how this new line of thought that has “neat and groovy”  experiences written all over it. Some will willingly go to the left while others go to right.  My friend said the other day, that at the moment of Judgment we will be able to choose if you want to follow Jesus or not.  I disagree, we all choose now and it is remembered for us later. Our choice is written on our hearts for Jesus to read right next to the laws He wrote.

God, I  have impressions, I see things in my mind’s eye, I know when You are talking to me, You sparked my speaking in tongues.   You told me to have that kid pray over me that day to engage them in me. I have had that desire for years, but I did not force it and become someone I wasn’t around people who were speaking in tongues to fit in. I waited for You and You delivered.  I believe that there are angels and miracles can happen, but they are always at your direction not mine. I call on you to intervene, but leave it all to your judgment.    You know what would happen if I had that sort of power without a maturity behind it.  You confirm my faith through those experiences. I believe that I am to introduce people I meet  to You when the opportunity presents itself. I did not see you commission the Apostles after Pentecost to build nations or kingdoms, but instructed the Holy Spirit to lead guide and direct them and spread the Gospel, like you call me to do on a daily basis. You gave me free choice and the ability to discern good from evil and call it out if necessary.

So God I am going to list what I believe about You and I ask that you correct my thinking if I am wrong. Convict me with the Holy Spirit so that I can walk in Your Truth and not “Man’s Wanna Be Truth” about you.

• What is my source of authority?

A word for word translated Bible- NKJV, NASB, plus the Amplified

(Thought for thought and Paraphrase  for the fun of it.)

•  What is my view of God (You)?

I define You by the terms and description  laid out in the Bible. A Loving Just God who will administer tough love when needed, not by my feelings about You. My feelings confirm your presence in  me.

(You are not a Sugar Daddy who slobbers kisses all over me no matter what I do and says go ahead continue playing with matches just don’t get burnt.)

•  What is my view of the Trinity?**

The three persons of the Godhead are one but yet distinct.

•  Who is Jesus Christ?**

 The Son of God, who by his death, burial and resurrection is the central  focus for Christianity and provides access to God if asked for by any person due to his taking of our sin on the cross.

•  Who is man?**

God created man in His own image but man can never do enough on his own to redeem himself.  He is redeemed through the blood, trust and acceptance of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

•  What is my view on sin?**

We are all sinners and fall short of God’s standard and Glory through sinful acts.

(I can’t pretend to be happy, happy, happy powerful in spiritual authority and pretend there in no sin in me and ignore who I really am without Jesus. If I am real, everyone will see all my spots and blemishes and God’s love will flow from them.)

•  What is my view of Salvation?**

 A man receives redemption through a belief in Jesus Christ, but never becomes equal with God or Jesus.

•  What is my view of the future life?**

A person is a spiritual and physical being who will live either in Heaven or Hell for eternity.

(Yup what I do on Earth effects my future, if I were committing adultery don’t think for a minute my wife would keep the door open if I did not humbly repent for my actions. I believe I would still love her but not wholly.  Funny how Jesus describes our relationship with Him like a marriage. Who are you sleeping with?)

•  What is my view of the end-times?

People get ready!   Jesus is coming!  He will come in with a bang like the scripture says. I believe  what the prophecies say in Daniel, Matthew and Revelation. I believe Jesus did prophesize about Jerusalem and also the future at the same time. He was pretty good with words.  Is there going to be a rapture prior to the tribulation, will we live through  it or picked up in the middle of it,  I don’t know, but I will be covered by Christ if I remain steadfast,  this I know.  I know one thing, He did not come in 70 AD and we are not in the millennial reign.

(When the tribulation does happen and if I am alive,  I hope He gives me three steps towards the door, as Lynyrd Skynyrd sang back in the 80’s)

•  What is my view of Hell?**

Is a future place of punishment for those who reject Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

(I can’t change that, just like I can’t change my relatives. It is what it is.  I love them just trying to make a point )

•  What is my view of Satan?

Fallen angel that has been given  dominion on Earth until Christ’s return then he will no longer deceive the nations. How does that play out?  I only know it is good for me and the world.

•  What is my view of Israel?

God loves the entire world, Israel the nation and the Jewish people, saved or not. God demonstrates He will take us back every time when we humble ourselves and repent. He is Love and there is no way for us to understand what that truly means, but most of us know what love is not.  Breaking a covenant,  the most binding agreement God gave us, is not an act of Love. Bringing more people under that covenant is.  Israel the nation might be lost right now, but the Shepard will find its lost sheep like He did with me.

I love you, Father.

Jesus, some of the items in the listed (**) above were referenced and taken in part from the book, What they Believe  by Dr. Harold J. Berry, one of your other faithful servants.