Ignorance is an unguarded door for the enemy to come through unawares, so we need to learn how to guard the door to our faith like the Bereans did. We CAN judge doctrine by the Word of God, and we're required to test ourselves to see if we're in the faith.
This word "distinguish" is "diakrisis" which means "a distinguishing, discerning, judging" and comes from the root "krino" which is used as "judge" in Matt 7:1-5. So what's the difference? It's in the context. One is hypocritical judgment, which is condemned. The other is a mandate to be mature and judge between what is GOOD (like doctrine) or EVIL (like bad doctrine). And if it is false doctrine, well let's be logical...it's heresy. It leads people away from the true Way. Would false doctrine be from Satan? But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned! Gal.1:8 Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unrighteous, and not before the saints? Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world will be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters? Do you not know that we shall judge angels? How much more, things that pertain to this life? If then you have judgments concerning things pertaining to this life, do you appoint those who are least esteemed by the church to judge? I say this to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you, not even one, who will be able to judge between his brethren? 1 Corinthians 6:1-6 The focus of this article is a report on the recent emergence of Dominion Theology in Charismatic and Pentecostal circles, and the primary theologian and thinker behind this movement. This brand of Dominionism comes out of the Partial Preterist view of eschatology. If you do not know what Dominionism or Preterism is and how it affects you, you have an unguarded door in your Christian life, so please read on.
Preterists Believe Most Of End-Times Prophecy was fulfilled in 70 A.D. I came into the Baptism of the Holy Spirit in 1965 during the early years of the Charismatic movement in St. Louis. In those years I sat at the feet of the founders of many doctrines. I finally came to realize they were not good doctrines, and I walked away from them. The Shepherding, Jesus Only (oneness), Manifest Sons of God, Latter Rain, and the Word Faith, were all presented to me. After a lot of prayer, study, and the advice of mature Christians, I didn't go with any of them. I stayed in the main flow of the Charismatic movement. My point is: yes I examined, no I didn't go with them ... yes I have dear friends in some of these groups. The latest stream in the Charismatic movement has been evolving since the 90's, but just recently began to take on a name. In fact it seems like they were hiding their identity. At any rate I have only begun to get wind of it over the past two months. I knew what a Preterist was, but it seemed entirely foreign in the Charismatic movement. Now I have come to understand that the full title of this movement is: the Partial Preterist / Dominionist movement. At this time, most Charismatics and Evangelicals have never heard these terms before. If you are such a one, please read on, because you really need to know who these people are and what they are teaching. You may be in the midst of such a group and not even know it. Unlike all the other movements, this one is militant. As Preterists they believe that Jesus' second coming took place way back in 70 A.D. As Dominionists they intend to intimidate, dominate, and conquer the whole world so that Jesus can manifest His presence and rule the world. If you do not succumb to their doctrine you are accused of touching God's anointed, not being in the Spirit of Unity, and coming against God. All the other groups just let you be, but this one doesn't. In a moment we will give a better definition of these terms. These Dominionists tend to scorn and belittle those who would exercise their God-given self-defense weapon of discernment. Those who would obey scripture and “test all things” are mocked and ridiculed and labeled ‘Pharisees.’ It seems that the Church has fallen prey to the modernistic, non-judgmental mindset of our present age. The one unpardonable sin is to question someone’s belief, or dare to say that it might be wrong . This is a politically correct time in America. We don’t want to offend someone whose beliefs may differ from ours.These new leaders demand you march inline, and if you cannot agree, then you must remain silent at all costs. They call for us to experience now, and evaluate later. I am reminded of heroin addicts who took one shot and then evaluated that decision for the rest of their wretched lives.
Some of our most popular Charismatic/Pentecostal leaders are They have been very secretive about their doctrine and identity for some reason. We can only recognize them by what they are teaching. They teach a doctrine, but they hide their label. Why? By hiding their label they also hide their identity. Who are the leaders? And prophetically, where is this movement taking us? For a deception to be received in a widespread and mainstream manner, the teaching of it has to be slow and methodical. That is what they have done. The Holy Spirit prompts people that something is off, but when they take a cursory glance they can't see what it is and they are often discouraged from asking questions. The Scriptures have been slowly removed from much of the church, discipleship removed, and we are left with an immature, untrained, vulnerable 'army' willing to follow a 'strong' leader. We feel excused because few of us have ever heard of these labels (Preterist & Dominionist) before. Is this a Trojan horse full of false prophets that will open the church gates to a lethal invasion of heresy? We need the Lord to show us what to do. As the Lord reveals the deception and calls people to Truth, Satan would love to create chaos and misunderstanding. We need the Lord's clear direction. There will be conflict and battle by the world's standards but peace according to the Lord. Light shining in darkness reveals whatever is present. In short, we need to understand what the word "Dominionism" means to these people, and why they are so militant. So far only one of these prominent Charismatic leaders (that I know about) has come out of the closet and announced himself as a Preterist and Dominionist. C. Peter Wagner, Presiding Apostle in the International Coalition of Apostles, said in his new book titled: DOMINION! How Kingdom Action Can Change the World, that he is a Partial Preterist and strong advocate of Dominion Theology. Here is what he said on page 61:
Many of my readers have never heard any of these words or names before, so consider doing a Google search on them. It bears repeating, ignorance is an unguarded door for the enemy to come through unawares. These terms need to be defined so you can see what Dominion Theology is, and why it is so essential for you to know something about these doctrines.
Amillennialists or Preterists say that the Second Coming, the Antichrist reign, and the tribulation all took place in the era of AD 70 when General Titus destroyed the temple and marched Judea into captivity, and we have been in a none-literal millennium ever since AD 70. They call themselves Preterists. Many Preterists teach Replacement Theology and Dominion Theology. Do you think this doctrine is heretical or just in error? As I understand this doctrine, Preterists are saying there will not be a seven year tribulation period or an Antichrist whom the book of Revelation says will become a One World dictator for a brief time in history. There will only be Christian super leaders who (in unity of some spirit with all their believers) conquer the world for Christ. And then Jesus will come again. Do you think this doctrine is heretical or just in error…or is it Bible truth? Postmillennialists or Historists say that the Second Coming can not take place until the end of the millennium when every human has been led to Christ (allegorically understood to just mean "a long time" and not a literal 1,000 years). They call themselves Historists because they believe that most of the end-time prophecies have already been fulfilled, and believe the reigning Pope has always been the current Beast. Many Historists also teach Replacement Theology and Dominion Theology. Do you think this doctrine is heretical or just in error? Premillennialists are called Futurists because we say that the antichrist will come on the scene sometime in the future at the onset of the seven year tribulation period, and that the Second Coming will take place at the beginning of the millennium. Premillennialists (pre, mid, and post tribulation rapture saints) know the passage in Genesis where God told Adam to, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it" (Gen 1:26-28) but they also know that before their first child was born that they had already lost God's perfect plan for dominion over the earth. But the principle for us to remember is that God wants us to be the stewards, the caretakers and protectors of His creation. Because we have the correct Biblical view, we assume that all Christians do, and the Dominionists take full advantage of our innocence and naivety. Replacement Theology Teaches that the Church is the replacement for Israel and that the many promises made to Israel in the Bible are fulfilled in the Christian Church, not in Israel. So, the prophecies in Scripture concerning the blessing and restoration of Israel to the Promised Land are "spiritualized" or “allegorized” into promises of God's blessing for the Church. Major problems exist with this view, such as the continuing existence of the Jewish people throughout the centuries and especially with the revival of the modern state of Israel. If Israel has been condemned by God, and there is no future for the Jewish nation, how do we explain the supernatural survival of the Jewish people over the past 2000 years despite the many attempts to destroy them? How do we explain why and how Israel reappeared as a nation in the 20th century after not existing for 1900 years? Dominion Theology Teaches that the Gospel of Salvation is achieved by setting up the “Kingdom of God” as a literal and physical kingdom to be “advanced” on Earth in the present age. Dominion Theology says the church will completely Christianize and rule the world before Jesus can return (the Second Coming) to rule the world. "Full Preterists," who see all prophecy fulfilled in AD 70 are rarely connected to Dominion Theology (Reconstructionism; Rushdoony, Bahnsen) because they see the Mosaic code as yet binding. The branch of Dominionism we are addressing here essentially seeks to establish God's Kingdom on the earth now by political or radical activism. They believe that Jesus can't come back until they have conquered the earth in His name and subdued all of God's enemies. Four centuries after Calvin it's very popular in Charismatic and Pentecostal movements in the U.S. and the U. K. that are trying to establish God's kingdom here on earth, and denies the rapture. Some have gone as far as to say the rapture is a lie of the devil. This LINK expounds on John Calvin's Dominionism.
The roots of Dominionism are traced back to Ambrose of Milan (338-397), who influenced Augustine, (354-430) the theological father of what we know today as Roman Catholicism as well as Reformed Theology. Ambrose believed that the church should exert political authority over the state so that the courts and government would reflect the morality and ethics teachings of the church. The Reformers did not go completely back to the Bible but rather went back to the root of the problem, Augustine of Hippo. There was an urgency to preserve unity within the church, so Augustine called for the Council of Nicea which began what is known as Erastianism (i.e., the sins of Christians should be punished by the state, and not by the church withholding the sacraments). The result of all of this being that political dominion could now be exercised by civil authorities over the church. Hence, the term dominionism.Both Martin Luther (1483-1546) and John Calvin (1509-1564) were ardent students of Augustine theology. In 1540 Calvin set about revolutionizing Genevan society. His most important innovation was the incorporation of the church into city government; he immediately helped to restructure municipal government so that clergy would be involved in municipal decisions, particularly in disciplining the populace. He imposed an hierarchy on the Genevan church and began a series of statute reforms to impose a strict and uncompromising moral code on the city. Some argue that doctrine is a matter of personal choice ... an opinion that is dear to you. But isn't it logical to say that history is not a matter of opinion. History says there were no Preterists or Dominionists during the first 350 years of church history. These doctrines were the works of men whose names do not roll off our tongues easily, men who were Catholic Bishops. If a theology, doctrine, or tradition was not found in the writings of the early church fathers and historians, we can conclude that they are not scripturally valid, assuming that the first century model for the church is the only model sanctioned by the early apostles. Again, that is not an opinion, that is just a historical fact. Diversity is healthy, but it must also have historical support as well as Scriptural support to not be erroneous or heretical. All the early church fathers were pre-millennial. You know there is a lot of error out there, and in all probability you and I, and every Christian, has some error in our teachings. I can handle error, but I draw the line at heresy, don’t you? The branch of Dominionism we are addressing here essentially seeks to establish God's Kingdom on the earth now by political or radical activism. They believe that Jesus can't come back until they have conquered the earth in His name and subdued all of God's enemies. Four centuries after Calvin, it has become popular in Charismatic and Pentecostal movements in the U.S. and the U. K.; they are trying to establish God's kingdom here on earth, and deny the rapture. This LINK expounds on John Calvin's Dominionism. I really resisted the reports that the most militant form of Dominionism is coming out of what is called the Religious Right, because I strongly identify with that label. Finally I could see that the evangelistic fervor and the Pentecostal doctrine that says all of the 2 Corinthians 12 gifts and Ephesians 4:11 five fold ministries (something else I am a part of) are still with us today combined with Dominionism makes for a volatile mix. And Peter Wagner also identifies with both of those camps. Some Dominionists liken the New Testament Kingdom to the Old Testament Israel in ways that justify taking up the sword, or other methods of punitive judgment, to war against enemies of their kingdom. These militant Dominionists teach that men can be coerced or compelled to enter the kingdom. They consider us Premillinnialist/Futurists to be among those enemies.
They assign to the Church duties and rights that belong scripturally only to Jesus Christ. This includes the esoteric belief that believers can “incarnate” Christ and function as His supreme authority on Earth to establish His kingdom rule. An inordinate emphasis is placed on man’s efforts; the doctrine of the sovereignty of God is diminished.
In Peter Wagner's Dominion theology the first item of business is to have absolute dominion over their followers. The word "dominion" means to dominate, to use their "Joel's Army" to enforce complete control, to be punished if you do not submit to the leaders assigned to you, and to the party line they lay down for not just their followers, but to ALL of society...world wide.
Hitler practiced the tenants of the dominion philosophy (and had the blessings of the Pope and Moslems) and was able to convince the church in Germany that he was a messiah. After all, he took a nation that was bankrupt; had no military or industry, was overrun with crime and perversion, and turned Germany into a world power in something like 4 years. Keep in mind that the Preteristic Catholic church gives us the oldest Dominion Theology model, and that Protestantism is still a whole lot more Catholic than we want to believe. For instance, a lot of our denomination's eschatology is the Catholic eschatology, Preterism. The Papal system of Rome has had over a thousand years to perfect their heretical doctrine. Their Dominionism gave us the dark ages and the inquisition that martyred 50 million Christians (from 1476 to 1834) who would not submit to the Pope's authority. Yet, here they are practicing this heresy themselves. The Vatican is not all that interested in their followers knowing their theology or the Bible. In fact, they outlawed the Bible for centuries. They just want dominion and indoctrination. Can you now see what is immerging here? Can you see the dangerous potential this heresy may hold?
It makes me wonder how this powerful, aggressive Charismatic/Pentecostal Protestant Dominionist group is gong to face up to the Catholic Goliath Dominionist camp.
Biblical truths are not as important as domination, manipulation, and control. Bringing the world under submission so Jesus can return at the end of their figurative millennium is everything to them. Once the world is completely under their control, THEN they can afford to tell us the rest of the rules...as Hitler did. If Hitler had died in 1938 he would have gone down in history as one of the greatest leaders and social engineers in history. A lot of the renewal and growth in the 'Christian' church is taking place within the Catholic Charismatic movement, the fastest growing in the world (I am told). This is a bogus, ecumenical, experience-based, Cross-denying, Mass-exalting movement which is trying to destroy the work of the Reformation by joining Catholics and Protestants in ecstatic rituals, not belief in the same truths. Dominionism is always an aberration of true Christian theology.
The Dominionists are just now beginning to show their true religion, they have been very secretive about it. But they are well enough established now that they can reveal themselves. I do not know yet how many of them are informed and committed Dominionists, and who are among the elect (Matt 24:24) but caught up in the struggle to be recognized and advanced by them, and don't really know the heresy and trap they are falling into. But once they do, it will be too late for many of them. They will have too much invested, will look bad, will be ostracized and persecuted for trying to be God's prophetic watchman on the wall who announces the enemy within the city walls. But if the people fall to the enemy within, their blood will not be on the Watchman's hands. Jeremiah can tell you that a prophet can really pay a heavy price for the proclamation of God’s will.
If you can handle a lot of disappointment you need to watch this confirming video by Dr Walter Veith, a theologian. In most of the video clips you can clearly see and hear them say things that will shock you. So judge for yourselves as you watch this video: http://video.aol.com/video-detail/225-strange-fire/1521808401 Judgment is coming to the world, but it always comes to the church first. I do not know the form of that judgment, but the Bible says it is coming.
Am I being paranoid here? Is this another wacky conspiracy theory? Are the Preterists and Historists convincing us Premillennialists that there is no premillennial return of Christ or no return at all? No antichrist is coming, no tribulation is coming, no alternatives to them ruling us and the world? Somehow the end-time prophecies WILL be fulfilled, but we see through a glass darkly as to how all that is going to play out. John admonished us to "Look up and be ready." Dialogue With the Uninformed Like Paul Revere, end-time prophets are riding out into the night calling out, "the Preterists are coming, the Preterists are coming!!!" And the Premillennialists will ask, "what is a Preterist?" "You know! Wake up! The Dominionists are coming, the Dominionists are coming!" "What's a Dominionist?" Paul Revere did not say, the British are coming, because the colonists were also British. No, he said the Red Coats are coming. They looked like the colonists and have the same British accent, but they were there to kill and dominate. The Red Coats in this analogy are the Dominionists who come looking and sounding just like us Premillennialists ... the wolves in sheep clothing, the Trojan horse full of intruders that will open the church gates to a lethal invasion of heresy.
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