False FiveFold Ministry

Introduction

A considerable amount of literature has been written about the fivefold ministry spoken of in Eph. 4:11. This has generated considerable interest leading to some changes in the way 21st Century Christians view The Church structure and ministries. This has contributed to substantial growth in The Church both in terms of numbers of converts as well as material wealth and influence in politics.  It is no surprise therefore that Satan has also been ensuring that his angel of light camouflaged false fivefold ministry have been concurrently sown into The Church.

The false five fold ministry is not blatantly obvious to Christians. If it were so, than Satan would fail to entice millions of Christians as is currently happening.  The angel of light camouflage has been continually active throughout Church history since the time of the Apostles and is the greatest single barrier to The Holy Spirit taking charge of The Church.  The fact that for Centuries The Body of Christ has been desperately crying out for genuine large scale revivals and mighty moves of God, but is not getting proportionate answers from The Holy Spirit is proof enough that darkness and evil have become entrenched in The Church.  Much of the current moves or revivals are in small pockets around the world.  The desperation has become so intense that many church leaders scurry to either invite or go themselves to get "the latest moves of God" from wherever in order to bring it back to their home church.  This sad absurdity is an open testimony that The Holy Spirit, Who is Revival, is truly not in-charge in the vast majority of The Body of Christ.

This outcome for The Church is consistent with the experience and patterns of the Israelites in the Old Testament whenever they allowed false prophets, and idolatrous Kings to reign over them.  The false teachings and evil practices that were adopted and adapted from the ungodly nations around them cut Israel off from The Living God.  As a result they were left to enslavement and/or scattering into exile. They would continue to suffer and more often then not it would take years of groaning and crying to God before a deliverer was sent. The only time they were able to receive Divine deliverance, restoration and regathering of the tribes back was when their leaders and Priests repented and destroyed the false gods and abominable practices. The tragedy for The Church over the last 2000 years until this present day is that she has not learnt from the lessons of Israel's experience which are meant as a sign and example to her of what not to do as well as how to return to her Saviour.

The greatest challenge The Church has at this time is to begin to recognise that there are false fivefold ministries whose activities are well embedded in Church ministries. Most leaders are either oblivious or blinded to this ministry and are therefore partakers of them.  Alternatively, they are aware of the evil but are hostage beneficiaries of these ministries so have developed theological excuses to justify keeping them.  This strategy has been practised since the fall of man and have been used to justify dictatorships, evil economic systems, exploitative corporations, brutal and exploitative family and community structures. The Israelites did exactly the same things that The Church is currently doing and The Holy Spirit has kept away much to the frustration of the congregation.

One thing that has to be clearly understood and spelt out, is that , it is impossible for humans by themselves to achieve the restoration of The Holy Spirit empowered fivefold ministry.  There are no so called Apostles or Apostolic and Prophetic organisations that are remotely, of themselves, even able to grasp what, when and how this restoration can be achieved. This requires a direct Divine capability in which the five fold (not just the Apostles and Prophets) will be true servants to the The Body of Christ and NOT rulers as is currently being propagated by some. On the other side, to achieve this it requires a return to basic recognition of mankind's sinful tendencies, the need for repentant and humble attitudes led upfront by church leadership  towards The Holy Spirit Who Alone can bring the true ministries into being.

The saddest reflection of how incapable we as humans are is seen in the failing of the Pentecostal/Charismatic movements in recognising the entry of the angel of light doctrines into their mainstream church life. Worse still, a majority of churches within this movement have so whole heartedly accepted these doctrines or variants of these doctrines to the extent that many traditional Protestant and Catholic churches have now succumbed as well.  The main reason is the spectacular results being achieved in these churches at the expense of those who are not adopting these doctrines.  The pressure, especially on those whose congregations are dwindling has been too tempting not to believe that God "has endorsed" these doctrines.
 

The Characteristics and Fruit of the False Five Fold Ministry

The false five fold ministry is best recognised by its teaching and fruit. In Matt. 7:15-20 The Lord Jesus gives this discernment sign:

^15 ^l“Beware of false prophets, ^mwho come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. ^16 ⁿYou will know them by their fruits. ^oDo men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? ^17 Even so, ^pevery good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. ^18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. ^19 ^qEvery tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ^20 Therefore by their fruits you will know them.

l Deut. 13:3; Jer. 23:16; Ezek. 22:28; Mark 13:22; [Luke 6:26]; Rom. 16:17; Eph. 5:6; [Col. 2:8; 2 Pet. 2:1; 1 John 4:1–3]

m Mic. 3:5

n Matt. 7:20; 12:33; Luke 6:44; James 3:12

o Luke 6:43

p Jer. 11:19; Matt. 12:33

q Matt. 3:10; Luke 3:9; [John 15:2, 6]

The New King James Version. 1996, c1982 . Thomas Nelson: Nashville

In Luke 6:43-45 it reads,

^43 ^f“For a good tree does not bear bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. ^44 For ^gevery tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush. ^45 ^hA good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil ⁹treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out ⁱof the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

f Matt. 7:16–18, 20

g Matt. 12:33

h Matt. 12:35

9 NU omits treasure of his heart

i Prov. 15:2, 28; 16:23; 18:21; Matt. 12:34

The New King James Version. 1996, c1982 . Thomas Nelson: Nashville

The fact that these false fivefold ministries are being provided by a large number of ministers and leaders shows good reason why it should be called the angel of light doctrines.

The angel of light teaching has its origins from Satan, but its power and effectiveness in deceiving is enabled through idolatry.  Satan offers what appears like Divine Truth with genuine truth from the Scriptures but the final outcome is a subtle redirection towards the original offer in the garden of Eden - to be like God.  This idolatrous craving that is part of mankind's sinful nature has proven consistently effective in turning genuine revivals into acts of rebellion against God leading to departure of The Holy Spirit and resulting in dead churches and movements or churches and/or denominations bogged down in the traditions of men. This also occurred consistently in the Old Testament throughout the history of the nation of Israel and was God's regular complaint and judgment against them.

The following are scripture descriptions of the false fivefold ministry:

1. False Apostles/Evangelists

2. False Prophets

3. False Shepherds/ Pastors

4. False Teachers

The following are some of the Messages and Characteristics of the false fivefold ministry.

1. False Salvation

What is not mentioned:

1. No mention of mandatory requirement for everyone to recognised that:
    

2. No mention of the need to repent and surrender all of one's ambitions, lifestyle choices, wealth, and very future at the feet of the cross. That there is no going back to the world from then on.
    
3. No mention of the mandatory requirement of the Christian lifestyle being a choice to take up one's cross daily (a life of sacrifice) and following Christ. Luke 9:23-26 reads,

"^23 ^tThen He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross ²daily, and follow Me. ^24 ^uFor whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. ^25 ^vFor what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost? ^26 ^wFor whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ^xashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father’s, and of the holy angels.

t Matt. 10:38; 16:24; Mark 8:34; Luke 14:27

2 M omits daily

u Matt. 10:39; Luke 17:33; [John 12:25]

v Matt. 16:26; Mark 8:36; [Luke 16:19–31]; Acts 1:18, 25

w [Rom. 1:16]

x Matt. 10:33; Mark 8:38; Luke 12:9; 2 Tim. 2:12

The New King James Version. 1996, c1982 . Thomas Nelson: Nashville

4. No mention of the reality that Christians are faced with daily temptations, tough choices and decisions as promised by The Lord Jesus.
    

5. No examples of those who have suffered hardships and are still suffering hardships as a result of following Christ.  Also no mention of those who are still struggling financially, in bad health, or suffering loss of influence even though they have been faithful Christians for years.
    
6. No mention that the Christian will experience the death of their cherished dreams and visions. There will be periods of wilderness and bewilderment to test their resolve and faith in God's promises.

What is offered as the false Salvation package to the unsaved is exclusively positives and the only warnings about consequences of rejecting the offer are what financial, healing, emotional benefits the person would miss out on:

1. There is only talk about the Love of God, and what God and Jesus and The Holy Spirit will do for you if you become a Christian.
    
2. You are offered a great opportunity by God to reach your full potential if you give your life to God.
    
3. You are beckoned to come to Christ so that He will heal your wounds, disease, pain and all manner of suffering
    
4. You are offered wealth, health, prosperity and influence in all your endeavours when you start giving into the ministry of the church
    
5. You are told that The Holy Spirit will deliver you out of all your troubles.
    
6. Numerous examples of those Christians who have benefited from becoming Christians, but none who is going through "hell" and is challenged to go on regardless.
    
7. God's Grace under the New Covenant is offered as being indulgent so that Christians can live with one foot in the world and the other in the Kingdom of God. No mention or emphasis is made of the dire warnings of the Lord Jesus in Rev.3:14-22 regarding being lukewarm, or living a lifestyle that denies Him. The scripture reads,

"^14 “And to the ⁹angel of the church ¹of the Laodiceans write,

^j‘These things says the Amen, ^kthe Faithful and True Witness, ^lthe Beginning of the creation of God: ^15 ^m“I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. ^16 So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither ²cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. ^17 Because you say, ⁿ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked— ^18 I counsel you ^oto buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and ^pwhite garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. ^19 ^qAs many as I love, I rebuke and ^rchasten. ³Therefore be ⁴zealous and repent. ^20 Behold, ^sI stand at the door and knock. ^tIf anyone hears My voice and opens the door, ^uI will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. ^21 To him who overcomes ^vI will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.

^22 ^w“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” ’ ”

9 Or messenger

1 NU, M in Laodicea

j Is. 65:16; 2 Cor. 1:20

k Rev. 1:5; 3:7; 19:11

l [Col. 1:15]

m Rev. 3:1

2 NU, M hot nor cold

n Hos. 12:8; Zech. 11:5; [Matt. 5:3]; 1 Cor. 4:8

o Is. 55:1; Matt. 13:44

p 2 Cor. 5:3

q Job 5:17

r Prov. 3:12; [2 Cor. 11:32]; Heb. 12:6

3 discipline

4 eager

s Song 5:2

t Luke 12:36, 37; John 10:3

u [John 14:23]

v Matt. 19:28; 2 Tim. 2:12; [Rev. 2:26; 20:4]

w Rev. 2:7

The New King James Version. 1996, c1982 . Thomas Nelson: Nashville

Warnings by the Apostle Paul regarding sinful lifestyles that would send Christians to Hell are rationalised or are altogether omitted from any teaching. In 1 Cor. 6:9-10 it reads,

"^9 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. ^eNeither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor ²homosexuals, nor ³sodomites, ^10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.

e Acts 20:32; [1 Cor. 15:50]; Gal. 5:21; Eph. 5:5; 1 Tim. 1:9

2 catamites, those submitting to homosexuals

3 male homosexuals

The New King James Version. 1996, c1982 . Thomas Nelson: Nashville

Also in Gal. 5:19-21, Paul warns Christians about the consequences of deliberately living sinful lifestyles. It reads,

"^19 Now ^ythe works of the flesh are evident, which are: ⁴adultery, ⁵fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, ^20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, ^21 envy, ⁶murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that ^zthose who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

y Rom. 1:26–31; Eph. 5:3, 11; 2 Tim. 3:2–4

4 NU omits adultery

5 sexual immorality

6 NU omits murders

z 1 Cor. 6:9, 10

The New King James Version. 1996, c1982 . Thomas Nelson: Nashville

2. False Signs and Wonders

3. False Messages

4. False Visions and Plans

The false fivefold ministry have visions and plans with a drive to global dominion through theocratic/political ascendancy. This vision sees the Church taking control of the world's political and economic systems through amassing wealth recovered from Satan's kingdom and having a large number of Christians in politics. This, however, will repeat the failed models of history. The Christians at the end of the 1st Century AD were politically legitimised by Emperor Constantine. Rather then bringing about the ideal Christian world they had hoped, it disempowered the church spiritually through the power of compromise for political expediency. The church eventually became just as brutal, corrupt and intermingled with idolatry as secular empires.  The ignored the fact that God had rejected this model and The Lord Jesus also explicitly stated His kingdom is not of this world.

Some churches have not learnt from history or are presuming on the way God operates through The Church. This fallacy in belief will lead to their eventual spiritual corruption that comes from compromising to achieve political/religious goals in a democratic system whose very drivers and foundations are compromise.

While God in His Wisdom may select particular Christians to be in positions of political power this has never been His model for the whole church. The best test of this is the Scriptures. Throughout the Old Testament and New Testament God never allowed the Priesthood in the Old Testament or the Apostles in the New Testament to become politicised. However, God, Himself had direct political influence through the Prophets, Kings, and Administrators both in the Old and New Testaments.

Jesus, at His trial, specifically testified before Pontius Pilate that His Kingdom is not of this world. In John 18:33-36 it reads,

"^33 ^gThen Pilate entered the ⁸Praetorium again, called Jesus, and said to Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?”

^34 Jesus answered him, “Are you speaking for yourself about this, or did others tell you this concerning Me?”

^35 Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered You to me. What have You done?”

^36 ^hJesus answered, ⁱ“My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here.”

The above Scripture should be warning enough to The Church not to be deceived by a false doctrine that political dominance via the Church is a model for the Kingdom. It may seem logical and even morally mandatory in the face of an explosion of evil in our times, but it does not originate from The Throne of God.

On the contrary The Church should never be afraid that Satan will overtake the world because God will raise a standard by The Holy Spirit. In Isaiah 59:15-20 it reads,

" Then the Lord saw it, and ³it displeased Him

     That there was no justice.

¹⁶     ^sHe saw that there was no man,

     And ^twondered that there was no intercessor;

     ^uTherefore His own arm brought salvation for Him;

     And His own righteousness, it sustained Him.

¹⁷     ^vFor He put on righteousness as a breastplate,

     And a helmet of salvation on His head;

     He put on the garments of vengeance for clothing,

     And was clad with zeal as a cloak.

¹⁸     ^wAccording to their deeds, accordingly He will repay,

     Fury to His adversaries,

     Recompense to His enemies;

     The coastlands He will fully repay.

¹⁹     ^xSo shall they fear

     The name of the Lord from the west,

     And His glory from the rising of the sun;

     When the enemy comes in ^ylike a flood,

     The Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him.

²⁰     “The ^zRedeemer will come to Zion,

     And to those who turn from transgression in Jacob,”

     Says the Lord.

3 Lit. it was evil in His eyes

s Is. 41:28; 63:5; 64:7; Ezek. 22:30

t Mark 6:6

u Ps. 98:1; Is. 63:5

v Eph. 6:14, 17; 1 Thess. 5:8

w Is. 63:6; Rom. 2:6

x Ps. 113:3; Mal. 1:11

y Rev. 12:15

z Rom. 11:26

The New King James Version. 1996, c1982 . Thomas Nelson: Nashville

The Holy Spirit will restrain the evil Himself until the time when He will be taken out. In 2 Thess. 2:5-12 it reads,

^5 Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? ^6 And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time. ^7 For ⁱthe ⁴mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only ⁵He who now restrains will do so until ⁵He is taken out of the way. ^8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, ^jwhom the Lord will consume ^kwith the breath of His mouth and destroy ^lwith the brightness of His coming. ^9 The coming of the lawless one is ^maccording to the working of Satan, with all power, ⁿsigns, and lying wonders, ^10 and with all unrighteous deception among ^othose who perish, because they did not receive ^pthe love of the truth, that they might be saved. ^11 And ^qfor this reason God will send them strong delusion, ^rthat they should believe the lie, ^12 that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but ^shad pleasure in unrighteousness.

The non-involvement of the main body of The Church in politics is not about the age old debate on separation of Church and State. God has every right and will exercise that Right as He Wills to place individuals in politics to achieve His Purposes that have an impact on the end goal - The gathering in of the elect and preparation for the Return of The Lord Jesus Christ. The signs and symbols through the nation of Israel given in the Old and the experience of the early New Testament Church clearly show that God has no intention of overtaking the present political systems and The Lord Jesus has said so clearly.

The true Divine plan already clearly outline in the Scriptures is for a complete eventual overthrow of the current political systems and a replacement by The Lord Jesus Christ Himself reigning with the Saints on behalf of God Almighty. This model is already given as a sign and symbol when Israel left Egypt they destroyed all existing kingdoms and political structures and established a new Kingdom with God as the Direct Ruler via His people.

In the Old Testament, the prophet Daniel was given visions clearly showing that only when The Lord Jesus is sent from Heaven will the true Divinely initiated political system be established. Daniel  7:9-27 reads,

In the New Testament, The Lord Jesus again gives this sign and symbol by establishing a New Covenant and new structures for ruling over His people. This is a precursor to the new political structure that He will present when the New Jerusalem, the capital of the new Theocratic system will be established on the earth for a thousand year reign. This vision given to the Apostle John in the book of Revelations revisits that given to the prophet Daniel quoted above.

Significantly, there is not even the slightest mention that the Christians will be in-charge of the earth's wealth and/or political structures before the return of The Lord Jesus. It is God Alone Who must rule directly through His Son Who has the required capability to ensure a just, peaceful, prosperous and holy governance system. Any other presumption has its origins in Satan's temptation of the garden of Eden and must be rejected.
 

5. False Christian Lifestyle

"^26 For ²you see your calling, brethren, ⁿthat not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many ³noble, are called. ^27 But ^oGod has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; ^28 and the ⁴base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, ^29 that no flesh should glory in His presence. ^30 But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and ^prighteousness and sanctification and redemption— ^31 that, as it is written, ^q“He who glories, let him glory in the Lord.”"

Paul also admits struggling with personal issues for which he prayed to be delivered but the Lord said His grace is sufficient for Him. In 2 Cor. 12:7-10 it reads,

"^7 And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a ^gthorn in the flesh was given to me, ^ha messenger of Satan to ²buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. ^8 ⁱConcerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. ^9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly ^jI will rather boast in my infirmities, ^kthat the power of Christ may rest upon me. ^10 Therefore ^lI take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. ^mFor when I am weak, then I am strong.

g Num. 33:55; Ezek. 28:24; Hos. 2:6; Gal. 4:13, 14

h Job 2:7; Matt. 4:10; Luke 13:16; [1 Cor. 5:5]

2 beat

i Deut. 3:23; Matt. 26:44

j 2 Cor. 11:30

k [1 Pet. 4:14]

l [Rom. 5:3; 8:35]

m 2 Cor. 13:4

The New King James Version. 1996, c1982 . Thomas Nelson: Nashville

The Lord Jesus chose His Apostles who will reign with Him in the New Jerusalem from  those who society could hardly call glamorous.  In the Old Testament history of Israel, which  God has set as examples and symbols for the Church, we see that a large majority of the best of God's chosen leaders were from unknown, unglamorous, and rejected backgrounds.  Those who got caught up in their new status as Kings or leaders eventually became corrupted by the power, wealth and fame leading to rejection by God. Examples of these are Saul, Eli and his sons, Aaron's sons, Solomon, Jehu, etc.
 

"^19 ^t“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; ^20 ^ubut lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. ^21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

t Prov. 23:4; [1 Tim. 6:17; Heb. 13:5]; James 5:1

u Matt. 19:21; Luke 12:33; 18:22; 1 Tim. 6:19; 1 Pet. 1:4

The New King James Version. 1996, c1982 . Thomas Nelson: Nashville

 In Luke 12:13-21 The Lord Jesus warns against covetousness and materialism. It reads,

"^13 Then one from the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”

^14 But He said to him, ⁿ“Man, who made Me a judge or an arbitrator over you?” ^15 And He said to them, ^o“Take heed and beware of ³covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.”

^16 Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. ^17 And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’ ^18 So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. ^19 And I will say to my soul, ^p“Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; ^qeat, drink, and be merry.” ’ ^20 But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night ^ryour soul will be required of you; ^sthen whose will those things be which you have provided?’

^21 “So is he who lays up treasure for himself, ^tand is not rich toward God.”

n [John 18:36]

o [1 Tim. 6:6–10]

3 NU all covetousness

p Eccl. 11:9; 1 Cor. 15:32; James 5:5

q [Eccl. 2:24; 3:13; 5:18; 8:15]

r Job 27:8; Ps. 52:7; [James 4:14]

s Ps. 39:6; Jer. 17:11

t [Matt. 6:20; Luke 12:33; 1 Tim. 6:18, 19; James 2:5; 5:1–5]

The New King James Version. 1996, c1982 . Thomas Nelson: Nashville

The false belief that giving out of ones abundance will automatically yield present and spiritual financial rewards. The Lord Jesus on the contrary says in Luke 21:1-3 it reads,

"And He looked up ^aand saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury, ^2 and He saw also a certain ^bpoor widow putting in two ^cmites. ¹^3 So He said, “Truly I say to you ^dthat this poor widow has put in more than all; ^4 for all these out of their abundance have put in offerings ²for God, but she out of her poverty put in ^eall the livelihood that she had.”

a Mark 12:41–44

b [2 Cor. 6:10]

c Mark 12:42

1 Gr. lepta, very small copper coins

d [2 Cor. 8:12]

2 NU omits for God

e [2 Cor. 8:12]

The New King James Version. 1996, c1982 . Thomas Nelson: Nashville

6. False Second Coming Perspective

The teaching and expectation that The Second Coming will ONLY occur after The Church has demonstrated that she has fully grasped the meaning of the finished work of the Cross and therefore defeated Satan in areas covering material wealth, physical health, political influence, etc.  At such a time, the Church will be the dominant force on the earth and Satan will be on the run as his kingdom is striped of power and followers. The world will therefore be handed over to The Returning Lord Jesus by a triumphant Church.

This false second coming view has no basis in Scripture but reflects the historical experiences of various kings of Europe who achieved Kingship after their armies and supporters defeated his enemies and welcomed him in triumph.  

On the contrary, in the Old Testament in the book of Daniel we see that it is only after the Coming of The Lord Jesus do we see a complete victory over Satan.  In the vision given to King Nebuchadnezzar and its interpretation it clearly shows that only the stone that comes from Heaven will destroy all previous kingdoms and powers. He, The Lord Jesus will then establish an everlasting Kingdom.  There is no mention or allusion to any triumph by the Saints before these events. In Daniel 2:27-45 it reads,

"27 Daniel answered in the presence of the king, and said, “The secret which the king has demanded, the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, and the soothsayers cannot declare to the king. 28 But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets, and He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days. Your dream, and the visions of your head upon your bed, were these: 29 As for you, O king, thoughts came to your mind while on your bed, about what would come to pass after this; and He who reveals secrets has made known to you what will be. 30 But as for me, this secret has not been revealed to me because I have more wisdom than anyone living, but for our sakes who make known the interpretation to the king, and that you may know the thoughts of your heart.

31 “You, O king, were watching; and behold, a great image! This great image, whose splendor was excellent, stood before you; and its form was awesome. 32 This image’s head was of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs^[c] of bronze, 33 its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay. 34 You watched while a stone was cut out without hands, which struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces. 35 Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were crushed together, and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors; the wind carried them away so that no trace of them was found. And the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.

36 “This is the dream. Now we will tell the interpretation of it before the king. 37 You, O king, are a king of kings. For the God of heaven has given you a kingdom, power, strength, and glory; 38 and wherever the children of men dwell, or the beasts of the field and the birds of the heaven, He has given them into your hand, and has made you ruler over them all—you are this head of gold. 39 But after you shall arise another kingdom inferior to yours; then another, a third kingdom of bronze, which shall rule over all the earth. 40 And the fourth kingdom shall be as strong as iron, inasmuch as iron breaks in pieces and shatters everything; and like iron that crushes, that kingdom will break in pieces and crush all the others. 41 Whereas you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter’s clay and partly of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; yet the strength of the iron shall be in it, just as you saw the iron mixed with ceramic clay. 42 And as the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly fragile. 43 As you saw iron mixed with ceramic clay, they will mingle with the seed of men; but they will not adhere to one another, just as iron does not mix with clay. 44 And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever. 45 Inasmuch as you saw that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold—the great God has made known to the king what will come to pass after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation is sure.”"

"Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson,  Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved."

7. False Praise and Worship

These types of worship and their predictable outcomes reflect the fact that the Glory of God has either departed or has never been.  The Old Testament experience of Israel mirrors these modern experiences and the leadership must reckon with the judgments of God on their form of worship just as He did on Israel. Examples of false worship and praise:

1.  In Isaiah 1:10-20

¹⁰     Hear the word of the Lord,

     You rulers ^mof Sodom;

     Give ear to the law of our God,

     You people of Gomorrah:

¹¹     “To what purpose is the multitude of your ⁿsacrifices to Me?”

     Says the Lord.

     “I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams

     And the fat of fed cattle.

     I do not delight in the blood of bulls,

     Or of lambs or goats.

¹²     “When you come ^oto appear before Me,

     Who has required this from your hand,

     To trample My courts?

¹³     Bring no more ^pfutile ⁶sacrifices;

     Incense is an abomination to Me.

     The New Moons, the Sabbaths, and ^qthe calling of assemblies—

     I cannot endure iniquity and the sacred meeting.

¹⁴     Your ^rNew Moons and your ^sappointed feasts

     My soul hates;

     They are a trouble to Me,

     I am weary of bearing them.

¹⁵     ^tWhen you ⁷spread out your hands,

     I will hide My eyes from you;

     ^uEven though you make many prayers,

     I will not hear.

     Your hands are full of ⁸blood.

¹⁶     “Wash ^vyourselves, make yourselves clean;

     Put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes.

     ^wCease to do evil,

¹⁷     Learn to do good;

     Seek justice,

     Rebuke ⁹the oppressor;

     ¹Defend the fatherless,

     Plead for the widow.

¹⁸     “Come now, and let us ^xreason together,”

     Says the Lord,

     “Though your sins are like scarlet,

     ^yThey shall be as white as snow;

     Though they are red like crimson,

     They shall be as wool.

¹⁹     If you are willing and obedient,

     You shall eat the good of the land;

²⁰     But if you refuse and rebel,

     You shall be devoured by the sword”;

     ^zFor the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

The New King James Version. 1996, c1982 . Thomas Nelson: Nashville

 

2. In Amos 5:16-27, it reads,

^16 Therefore the Lord God of hosts, the Lord, says this:

     “There shall be wailing in all streets,

     And they shall say in all the highways,

     ‘Alas! Alas!’

     They shall call the farmer to mourning,

     ^xAnd skillful lamenters to wailing.

¹⁷     In all vineyards there shall be wailing,

     For ^yI will pass through you,”

     Says the Lord.

¹⁸     ^zWoe to you who desire the day of the Lord!

     For what good is ^athe day of the Lord to you?

     It will be darkness, and not light.

¹⁹     It will be ^bas though a man fled from a lion,

     And a bear met him!

     Or as though he went into the house,

     Leaned his hand on the wall,

     And a serpent bit him!

²⁰     Is not the day of the Lord darkness, and not light?

     Is it not very dark, with no brightness in it?

²¹     “I ^chate, I despise your feast days,

     And ^dI do not savor your sacred assemblies.

²²     ^eThough you offer Me burnt offerings and your grain offerings,

     I will not accept them,

     Nor will I regard your fattened peace offerings.

²³     Take away from Me the noise of your songs,

     For I will not hear the melody of your stringed instruments.

²⁴     ^fBut let justice run down like water,

     And righteousness like a mighty stream.

²⁵     “Did ^gyou offer Me sacrifices and offerings

     In the wilderness forty years, O house of Israel?

²⁶     You also carried ⁵Sikkuth ⁶ ^hyour king

     And ⁶Chiun, your idols,

     The star of your gods,

     Which you made for yourselves.

²⁷     Therefore I will send you into captivity ⁱbeyond Damascus,”

     Says the Lord, ^jwhose name is the God of hosts.

The New King James Version. 1996, c1982 . Thomas Nelson: Nashville

 

3.  In Matt. 15:8-9 The Lord Jesus warns that:

⁸      ‘These ^gpeople ³draw near to Me with their mouth,

     And honor Me with their lips,

     But their heart is far from Me.

⁹      And in vain they worship Me,

     ^hTeaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ ”

g Ps. 78:36; Is. 29:13; Ezek. 33:31

3 NU omits draw near to Me with their mouth, And

h Is. 29:13; [Col. 2:18–22]; Titus 1:14

The New King James Version. 1996, c1982 . Thomas Nelson: Nashville

8. False Prayer and Intercession

"^31 ⁴And the Lord said, “Simon, Simon! Indeed, ^dSatan has asked for you, that he may ^esift you as wheat. ^32 But ^fI have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, ^gstrengthen your brethren

4 NU omits And the Lord said

d 1 Pet. 5:8

e Amos 9:9

f [John 17:9, 11, 15]

g John 21:15–17; Acts 1:15; 2:14; 2 Pet. 1:10–15

The New King James Version. 1996, c1982 . Thomas Nelson: Nashville

In John 17 The Lord Jesus, as the leader, intercedes for The Church knowing what the Will of The Father was.

Also when the church was faced with threats by the Jewish religious leaders the apostles took the lead in interceding to which The Holy Spirit responded powerfully (Acts 4:23-31).

In the Old Testament read the accounts of Abraham who interceded for Sodom and Gomorrah, Jacob for his family before meeting Esau, Moses interceded for Israel on a number of occasions, Joshua when they were defeated because of the sin of Acan, Samuel, even Saul understood the primary purpose of leadership of God's people, King David, Solomon, etc. None of these leaders assigned the intercessory task to someone under their authority because the "buck" stops at the leadership's feet. If they are arrogant or to weak to lead God's people into His Presence then they are not fit to lead.

In the Old Testament, we see the leaders taking and maintaining the initiative when it came to intercession for the people. Examples include Abraham, Jacob, Moses, David, Samuel, Solomon, Jehoshaphat, Daniel, etc.  These leaders clearly understood that God expected them to lead in this the MOST important leadership activity of seeking God's face until He responded to them. The false fivefold ministry delegates this to a so called "intercessory prayer warrior".  This abdication of the most important of all ministry roles is a clear sign that The Holy Spirit has no place in this type of church because people follow by leadership example. If the leader does not lead in prayer the church will be a non-praying church irrespective of any so called intercessors.  God is dishonoured when leaders consider their role of leading the local church in prayer and intercession as not important as preaching/teaching or other ministries.

In fact, the Scriptures demonstrate clearly to us that it is only when the leaders of the Israelites and the local church interceded and/or repented did God bring about a change in the fortunes of the nation or church.  No prophet, who was not also a leader,  was able through intercession to bring about a change in Israel.  In other words, churches that want revival will wait in vain if they think their "prayer warriors" are going to bring the breakthrough for them. The people leading the prayer warriors must also be part of the effective executive leadership of the church, not token leaders for prayer.

It is an insult and demonstrably unacceptable to God, as it would be to any political leader if in the process of seeking reconciliation the opposing leadership sent a volunteer or a low rank appointee to sign a peace treaty.  This would suggest that the leadership does not accept responsibility for THE MOST IMPORTANT process and stage of the reconciliation. No binding agreement has ever been ratified and made effective in such scenarios.  Yet there are churches today that would dare to treat God with such contempt and yet expect Him to give them revival at their beckon.

"Then He spoke a parable to them, that men ^aalways ought to pray and not lose heart, ^2 saying: “There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor ¹regard man. ^3 Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, ²‘Get justice for me from my adversary.’ ^4 And he would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself, ‘Though I do not fear God nor regard man, ^5 ^byet because this widow troubles me I will ³avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.’ ”

^6 Then the Lord said, “Hear what the unjust judge said. ^7 And ^cshall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? ^8 I tell you ^dthat He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?”

9. False Spiritual Warfare

10. Success and right motives alone signify Divine endorsement.

Probably one of the greatest deception that the angel of light has used is the presumption that success and right motives alone are sufficient evidence that any activity has God's endorsement.  This presumption has enabled false teachers, pastors, evangelists, prophets and apostles to exploit Christians no end and at an increasing rate given the power of combined marketing and mass media on a global basis today. This presumption which has been so successfully accepted by Christians ignores the solemn warning from God in the Old Testament regarding the false prophets. In Deut. 13:1-4 which reads,

" 1 “If there arises among you a prophet or a dreamer of dreams, and he gives you a sign or a wonder, 2 and the sign or the wonder comes to pass, of which he spoke to you, saying, ‘Let us go after other gods’—which you have not known—‘and let us serve them,’ 3 you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams, for the LORD your God is testing you to know whether you love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. 4 You shall walk after the LORD your God and fear Him, and keep His commandments and obey His voice; you shall serve Him and hold fast to Him. "

The Apostle Peter also warns in 2 Peter 2:1-3 which reads,

" 1 But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. 2 And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. 3 By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction does^[a] not slumber."

The Lord Jesus Christ in Matt 24:11-12 warns,

"11 Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. 12 And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold"

In Matt. 24:24 The Lord Jesus also warns,

"24 For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect."

Deception occurs only if those being deceived do not know the truth because they either have no means of checking or are deceived into not checking whether what they are being told is The Truth.  It is therefore, easy for someone to use their marketing skills to win over the congregation's confidence or using intimidating preaching techniques so as to stop the congregation cross checking their bibles against what is being taught.  The fact that some Scriptures have been quoted is therefore accepted as sufficient evidence of Divine endorsement.  Moreover, if the person or persons tell them that they are sincere in what they are saying then this is accepted.  For this reason, The Lord Jesus warned that even the elect would be susceptible to being deceived.  The only reason why they would not be deceived is because they hear the Voice of The Holy Spirit (John 10:27) Who testifies within them whether the person is a false shepherd. In John 10:1-5 it reads,

“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. ^2 But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. ^3 To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by ^aname and leads them out. ^4 And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. ^5 Yet they will by no means follow a ^bstranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.”

a John 20:16

b [2 Cor. 11:13–15]

The New King James Version. 1996, c1982 . Thomas Nelson: Nashville

Also John 10:25-30 it reads,

^25 Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. ^uThe works that I do in My Father’s name, they ^vbear witness of Me. ^26 But ^wyou do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, ⁵as I said to you. ^27 ^xMy sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. ^28 And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. ^29 ^yMy Father, ^zwho has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. ^30 ^aI and My Father are one.”

u John 5:36; 10:38

v Matt. 11:4; John 2:11; 20:30

w [John 8:47]

5 NU omits as I said to you

x John 10:4, 14

y John 14:28

z [John 17:2, 6, 12, 24]

a John 17:11, 21–24

The New King James Version. 1996, c1982 . Thomas Nelson: Nashville

  The Holy Spirit also prompts the genuine Christians to go and cross check in the Bible whether what is being taught is consistent with the teachings and principles of both the Old and New Testaments.

11. "Spiritual laws" contradict the Bible

The angel of light has used the teachings based on so-called "spiritual laws" to redirect Christians away from genuine living by faith and relationship with The Holy Spirit into the way of formulae.  So instead of believing in the Word of God and communing with The Holy Spirit, Christians are made to believe that they can get deterministic outcomes by invoking the autonomous power of a spiritual law which is powerful enough even to "force" God's hand because He is "obligated" to fulfil the conditions met by the Christian.

" 1 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant: 2 You know that you were Gentiles, carried away to these dumb idols, however you were led. 3 Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed, and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit.

4 There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. 6 And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. 7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: 8 for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, 10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills."

Some example fruits of the angel of light's corruption:

1. Amassed Wealth, Fame and Power through the Fivefold ministries

The amassing of wealth, fame and power through the fivefold ministries is one of the significant fruits of the angel of light teachings.  This does not necessarily refer to the individual leader's personal fortunes but may be a combination or through the organisation's trust vehicle.  In this instance, the leadership enjoy the benefits without necessarily having direct ownership of the wealth.  This strategy is a common practice among the wealthy and powerful in the secular world. It also shields their fortunes from litigation while they enjoy the benefits as if they had direct legal ownership.  Moreover, any accusation of personal wealth accumulation is therefore easily deflected by referring to the "fact" that the organisation's wealth is not in the leadership's direct control but rather is managed by an "independent" trust.

2. Covetous giving

Dictionary.com defines covetous as

adj 1: showing extreme cupidity; painfully desirous of another's advantages; "he was never covetous before he met her"; "jealous of his success and covetous of his possessions"; "envious of their art collection" [syn: envious, jealous] 2: immoderately desirous of acquiring e.g. wealth; "they are avaricious and will do anything for money"; "casting covetous eyes on his neighbor's fields"; "a grasping old miser"; "grasping commercialism"; "greedy for money and power"; "grew richer and greedier"; "prehensile employers stingy with raises for their employees

The believers who accept the angel of light teaching become and grow in covetous attitudes when they give.  Their faith is built on getting the reward or similar or even greater returns financially for giving. They reckon that giving to the Kingdom gives then a much higher financial and material returns - 30, 60, 100 fold.   As a result they calculate that if such and such an individual got a tripling financial returns as a result of giving a certain amount, therefore, they can get even more than that person giving the testimony they will therefore give a greater amount.  This kind of giving makes people think of giving as a worldly financial option just like any other investment option available in the financial market.

This kind of giving also encourages the covetous to join the church because they can use the traditional respectability of the church, the networks of influential business people in the congregation in order to grow wealth, influence and potentially power in the church and community. If, however, the strategy fails and they get nothing or far less they become bitter at their loss because the angel of light teaching ALWAYS blames them for either a lack of faith or for being impatient. Some may even abandon their faith or leave the local church realising this was all a lie but they are unable to prove objectively otherwise. In their bitterness and loss they sow seeds against the Gospel message and prevent those who might have been saved.  Jesus warned against this covetous attitude in Luke 12:13-21 which reads,

"^13 Then one from the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”

^14 But He said to him, ⁿ“Man, who made Me a judge or an arbitrator over you?” ^15 And He said to them, ^o“Take heed and beware of ³covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.”

^16 Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. ^17 And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’ ^18 So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. ^19 And I will say to my soul, ^p“Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; ^qeat, drink, and be merry.” ’ ^20 But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night ^ryour soul will be required of you; ^sthen whose will those things be which you have provided?’

^21 “So is he who lays up treasure for himself, ^tand is not rich toward God.”

3. Giving to gain influence

Angel of light teaching emboldens those who have a craving for influence in the church and community.  Such people know that the local church traditionally carries respectability in the community.  The angel of light teaching which focuses on the physical wealth, social and political influence feeds this self centred approach to Christianity.  As a result, overtime people who are driven by the need for influence will correspondingly give more and more but will begin to pressure the church leaders to use their influence to help such people gain benefits which they are pursuing and paying for.  The Lord Jesus warns against this in Matt 6:1-3 which reads,

" “Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven. ^2 Therefore, ^awhen you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. ^3 But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, ^4 that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret ^bwill Himself reward you ¹openly."

4. Giving to control

Angel of light teaching that focuses on gaining physical wealth, social and political influence will overtime substantially breed the control minded Christian.  Such Christians will not tolerate a challenge to their view of the world or differences of opinion.  The individuals will also calculating give amounts that are proportionate to their perceived increased control and influence in the church.  In the case of the more wealthy individuals, being influenced by the angel of light teaching, they may want to out-give the majority and then to use these giving to exert pressure of control on the church leadership.  These calculating people will push for the church to embark on highly expensive projects for which they know the church will become financially dependent on them as major underwriters for the debt.  The angel of light teaching becomes a trap for those who teach these doctrines in which they will become ensnared themselves.

The Lord Jesus showed little regard for the wealth of those He came across.  The best example was the rich young ruler. In Matt. 19:16-26 it reads,

"^16 ^oNow behold, one came and said to Him, ^p“Good ⁴Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?”

^17 So He said to him, ⁵“Why do you call Me good? ⁶No one is ^qgood but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, ^rkeep the commandments.”

^18 He said to Him, “Which ones?”

Jesus said, ^s“‘You shall not murder,’ ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ ‘You shall not steal,’ ‘You shall not bear false witness,’ ^19 ^t‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ^u‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’”

^20 The young man said to Him, “All these things I have ^vkept ⁷from my youth. What do I still lack?”

^21 Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, ^wgo, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”

^22 But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

^23 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Assuredly, I say to you that ^xit is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. ^24 And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

^25 When His disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?”

^26 But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but ^ywith God all things are possible.”

 In this case, one has to realise that The Lord Jesus was depending on people giving to support His ministry including His 12 disciples who were also in full-time ministry.  Moreover, Judas was busy stealing some of the money.  If Jesus had regard for wealth as is being taught by the angel of light teachings today, then this rich man would have been given the pride of place or offered special privileges with The Lord Jesus and the disciples in the hope that he would sow abundantly into their ministry.  The angel of light teaching would whitewash the true state of the rich man's heart falsely believing that as a result of expose to The Lord Jesus' teachings the person would eventually become a genuine believer while in the meantime sowing bountifully in the ministry.
 

5. Obsessive controlling influence

The leaders who promote angel of light teachings will automatically dismiss any advice given to them regarding their teaching.  They will also seek to maintain executive control over their congregation and leadership team having no qualms about dismissing staff who may indicate dissent with their teaching or practices. The deep desire for affirmation and being idolised or looked up to will blind them to the principles of servanthood.  Instead the emphasis is on God rewarding those who serve them and their ministries first.

They are quick to point out to the stories of Elisha who served Elijah before being given his own ministry.  They ignore the fact that the story clearly says that God sent Elijah to Elisha to anoint him a prophet as Elijah's replacement.  Elisha was not required to serve Elijah in order to become a prophet. It was his choice and Elijah demonstrated that he did not need Elisha and vice verse by asking Elisha to remain in various towns while he, Elijah, went to different towns to carry out his ministry. It was Elijah who chose to accompany Elijah so as to learn from him but the prophet's ministry was his because the call of God is without repentance and is a Grace gift by The Lord Jesus and not a reward for works.

Another wrong example used is Joshua serving Moses before taking over from Moses.  This again is a false example on serving before being rewarded with leadership roles.  The fact is that Moses asked God for someone to lead the Israelites into Canaan when he learnt that God was not going to let him enter into the promised land.  In response to his prayer God told him to anoint Joshua son of Nun.  From then on Joshua worked with Moses. Again this had nothing to do with earning the leadership but rather it was a Grace gift by God ahead of any service. This is consistent with scripture both in the Old and New Testaments
 

6. A lifestyle whose end is material comfort and extravagance

While material and financial wealth have no intrinsic moral value being physical inanimate objects, nevertheless, angel of light teachers will be significant beneficiaries.  This is because Satan needs to reward them in the present time in order to keep them preoccupied with the physical rewards so that they undervalue and under sow into the Kingdom of God.  As with all schemes of the Devil there will always be a minority of substantial beneficiaries whose largesse is financed by the vast majority of the misled.  Satan is not creative, but is a thief and the father of lies.  Those who teach his angel of light doctrines are by far and large the greatest beneficiaries because he is using them to misled the people. The people are sold a hope of gaining in the not too distant future if they invest now and continually give while those who are selling this message benefit upfront like a sort of investment in them.   Refer above on the section with the scripture references on the false fivefold ministries.

7. A Laodicean attitude towards the Christian lifestyle

"14"To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:
      These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God's creation. 15 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. 17 You say, 'I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. 18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see. 19 Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent. 20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. 21 To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." (Rev 3:14-22)

The scripture above reflects the self-indulgent approach to Christianity that the false fivefold ministry will bear fruit to.  This attitude is focused on the material rewards at the expense of the spiritual and Heavenly rewards. The Lord Jesus Christ warned that life does not consist in the abundance of material possessions. He also told the parable of the rich man and the poor man, Lazarus, to provide the eternal perspective on pre-occupation with materialism. It is told in Luke 16:19-30

^19 “There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and ⁸fared sumptuously every day. ^20 But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, ^21 desiring to be fed with ⁹the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. ^22 So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to ^oAbraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. ^23 And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.

^24 “Then he cried and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and ^pcool my tongue; for I ^qam tormented in this flame.’ ^25 But Abraham said, ‘Son, ^rremember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented. ^26 And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.’

^27 “Then he said, ‘I beg you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father’s house, ^28 for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment.’ ^29 Abraham said to him, ^s‘They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.’ ^30 And he said, ‘No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ ^31 But he said to him, ^t‘If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, ^uneither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.’ ”

8. Any major trial of life is given as an excuse to abandon the faith

These days there are so many easy but false alternatives available to wash a person's conscience of the need for salvation through Christ and substitute instead the so called "all roads lead to heaven" new age approach to religion. The widespread and trendy acceptance of the new age view of life and spirituality has, particularly, successfully entered The Church in the Western world. In the developing countries the Devil has successfully incorporated traditional ancestral and demonic rituals as part of some denominational church traditions. This has provided many Christians who have accepted the angel of light teachings to abandon the Christian faith and to pursue soft option Christianity which panders to their needs rather than the truth in the Scriptures.

The greatest incentive to leave the faith is the experience of the trials of life. This reflects the conduct of the Israelites when they first left Egypt as told in Exodus.. They looked back at Egypt with its certainty of food supplies and water.  They contrasted it with their current plight in the hot dusty desert with no water and food except the manna supplied by God. They focused their minds on the material benefits while ignoring the horrendous suffering they had endured for 430 years.

9. Talking and Teaching on the need for Repentance by Christians is discouraged or not promoted

One of the most obvious signs of the fruit of the angel of light teaching is the absence of regular talks and teachings on the need for Christians to examine their lives and to repent of sins which still seem to hold them in bondage.  The angel of light teaching obviously would like to avoid teaching on Christian repentance because the Devil does not want Christians to draw closer to God.  Leadership have adopted the view that reflecting on one's sinfulness may depress the congregation emotionally and some may become discouraged.  The angel of light teaches the focus of the church must be to give the congregation a positive experience and emotional uplift by the end of each service and in every point of ministry.  Yet in the Old and New Testament none of the prophets, the apostles and even The Lord Jesus is concerned, whatsoever, about whether people were given a positive experience or emotional uplift by the time they had finished the message or the encounter with the ministry. None of the Old Testament writings or New Testament epistles are deliberately written to end on a positive note unless it was foretelling prophetically events that so happen to end on a positive note, for example, the book of Revelations.
 

10. Birds of a Feather

The Lord Jesus Christ made himself of no reputation and was associated with the poor and outcast.  His disciples were not men of great repute or wealth even though the wealthy and powerful earnestly sought after and found Him completely accessible.  Those who have adopted the angel of light teachings will only seek the company of those who are successful, wealthy, and powerful to be on the inner circle of friendship. Satan ensures that they focus on this because it will ensure that their egos are fed, pride grows and they lose touch with the heart of God which is heart felt association with the poor. For these angel of light leaders high integrity of character and wisdom without the accompanying wealth, influence, and power qualities is not considered worth the investment of time and effort because there is no material and/or financial gain to be had. Such people are only consulted when their wisdom or integrity is needed to achieve a specific project.

The consistent theme throughout the Old and New Testament is compassion and justice towards the poor, the orphaned, the foreigner, widows and the vast majority of less privileged and exploited in society. In contrast the angel of light leaders become more and more conservative, supporting and justifying the exploitative practices of the wealthy and powerful while blaming the disadvantaged for their plight.  Caught up in their ever increasing wealth and power benefits that they have now become used to they will find justification from Scripture to entrench the status quo. 

Who is behind the false fivefold ministry?

The obvious question that needs to be addressed is who and what is behind the emergence and development of the false fivefold ministry.  While these ministries have always been around in different forms throughout human history their presentation and techniques have changed and adapted to suit the socio/politico and religious cultures of the day.  The current manifestations, therefore, should not be a surprise to any student of religious/cultic history.  There should, however, be alarm bells ringing loudly because perhaps for the first time just as the world is on the brink of an unprecedented Holy Spirit directed revival, we are seeing Satan sowing tares inside the church through leaders who have accepted the angel of light teachings.  The seriousness of this cannot be underestimated because The Lord Jesus, in the parable of the tares, stated that the tares would NOT be weeded out but would be left until judgment day. In  Matthew 13:24-28  it reads,

"The Parable of the Wheat and the Tares
   
24 Another parable He put forth to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; 25 but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way. 26 But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared. 27 So the servants of the owner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’ 28 He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The servants said to him, ‘Do you want us then to go and gather them up?’ 29 But he said, ‘No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.”’”

Matthew 13:36-43

The Parable of the Tares Explained

36 Then Jesus sent the multitude away and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field.”
37 He answered and said to them: “He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one. 39 The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels. 40 Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age. 41 The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, 42 and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!

This means that Christians must be individually vigilant with knowing and using their Bible to ensure that they are not deceived. While there is specific accountability on leadership, nevertheless, The Lord Jesus spoke directly to Christians as individuals to take responsibility for their eternal life because they will be judged by it, not by whether they were faithful and obedient to the leadership and their vision.

One of the greatest vulnerability for Christians today is the insistence of church leaders that their congregations simply accept without question the given vision that they have presented.  On the surface of it the principle seems sound enough since no organisation can achieve anything without a shared vision for directing the collective energies within that organisation.  The real problem, however, is that like any organisation individuals investing in that structure must accept personal accountability if they suffer losses.  A wise or shrewd individual owes it to themselves to carry out regular due diligence against the independent regulatory laws governing the operations of such organisations.  In the case of a church, the Scriptures are the means to challenge any vision presented.  This includes the qualifications and practices of those in leadership in terms of the out workings or execution of the vision through the various ministries.  

Many Christians have discovered to their great dismay and deep loss both emotional and/or financial and/or incalculable spiritual hurt when they discovered that the vision they had accepted turned out to be a vehicle for the personal enrichment and empowerment of those in leadership while the vast majority of the congregation remain largely not impacted as the vision foretold. In some extreme cases the vision led the congregation to collective self destruction. Christians should therefore not be intimidated by leadership threats because The Lord Jesus warns that the individual Christian must take responsibility for their own Christian walk. 

In verse 41 and 42 quoted above, it is explicitly stated that all things that offend and those who practice lawlessness will be cast into the furnace of fire.  This should be a dire warning to those Christian leaders and Christians who advocate practising homosexuals being apart of the church; adaptation of new age, sorcery, and cultic philosophies into Christian lifestyle and practise.  They will be treated just like those who are lawless and cast into the furnace of fire.

Significantly, the Lord Jesus makes it clear the false Christians have been in the church since its inception (remember Judas Iscariot who was an Apostle and leader) and will continue until the end.  It is therefore no surprise that the Devil will always have people within the Church he can use to mislead the genuine Christians.  The most obvious sign of these false Christians is their strong support of and lifestyle consistent with ungodly, lawless practices and beliefs which are contrary to the Scriptures. This is evidenced through the outworking fruit of their lifestyle and choices.  The fact that God will not remove them even during major revivals should be a sobering warning that the teaching of leaders should always be cross checked with the Scriptures before being accepted.
 

What are some of the driving forces behind these false Leaders and false Christians?

What is behind this false fivefold ministry?

The fundamental underlying motivator behind the false fivefold ministry is idolatry.  This has its origins in the garden of Eden when Satan offered Eve and Adam an opportunity to be like God.  Since the time they succumbed to that offer, humans have been vulnerable throughout history including church history. The craving to rule, dominate, be idolised, recognised and sought after have become the hallmark of idolatry until the present day.  We see this throughout the history of Israel and during the ministry of Christ in the temptations of Satan.  We see this when the mother of the sons of Zeebadee wanted them to be seated on Jesus' right and left hand in His Kingdom. We see it in the Book of Acts and the warnings by the Apostles in the New Testament epistles against false apostles (super apostles), false shepherds, and false teachers.

Church history since the death of the Apostles is filled with idolatry in every denomination and movement until the present day.  The Church has tragically repeated exactly the typical kinds of behaviour that the Israelites had throughout their history as a nation until AD 70 when they were dispersed into exile throughout the nations. This should be a harrowing warning and prospect for those in church leadership when The Lord Jesus returns.

What are Idols?

The world's definitions
(Source: Webster's Dictionary and Dictionary.com)

1. An image used as an object of worship
   One that is adored, often blindly or excessively
   Something visible but without substance.
2. An image or representation of anything.
3. A false notion or conception; a fallacy.
4. That on which the affections are strongly (often excessively) set; an object of passionate devotion; a person or thing greatly loved or adored.
5. a material effigy that is worshipped as a god;
6. an ideal instance; a perfect embodiment of a concept

The Bible definitions

idol (Source: Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary)

(1.) Heb. aven, "nothingness;" "vanity" (Isa. 66:3; 41:29; Deut. 32:21; 1 Kings 16:13; Ps. 31:6; Jer. 8:19, etc.).

(2.) 'Elil, "a thing of naught" (Ps. 97:7; Isa. 19:3); a word of contempt, used of the gods of Noph (Ezek. 30:13).

(3.) 'Emah, "terror," in allusion to the hideous form of idols (Jer. 50:38).

(4.) Miphletzeth, "a fright;" "horror" (1 Kings 15:13; 2 Chr. 15:16).

(5.) Bosheth, "shame;" "shameful thing" (Jer. 11:13; Hos. 9:10); as characterizing the
obscenity of the worship of Baal.

(6.) Gillulim, also a word of contempt, "dung;" "refuse" (Ezek. 16:36; 20:8; Deut. 29:17, marg.).

(7.) Shikkuts, "filth;" "impurity" (Ezek. 37:23; Nah. 3:6).

(8.) Semel, "likeness;" "a carved image" (Deut. 4:16).

(9.) Tselem, "a shadow" (Dan. 3:1; 1 Sam. 6:5), as distinguished from the "likeness," or the exact counterpart.

(10.) Temunah, "similitude" (Deut. 4:12-19). Here Moses forbids the several forms of Gentile idolatry.

(11.) 'Atsab, "a figure;" from the root "to fashion," "to labour;" denoting that idols are the result of man's labour (Isa. 48:5; Ps. 139:24, "wicked way;" literally, as some translate, "way of an idol").

(12.) Tsir, "a form;" "shape" (Isa. 45:16).

(13.) Matztzebah, a "statue" set up (Jer. 43:13); a memorial stone like that erected by Jacob (Gen. 28:18; 31:45; 35:14, 20), by Joshua (4:9), and by Samuel (1 Sam. 7:12). It is the name given to the statues of Baal (2 Kings 3:2; 10:27).

(14.) Hammanim, "sun-images." Hamman is a synonym of Baal, the sun-god of the Phoenicians (2 Chr. 34:4, 7; 14:3, 5; Isa. 17:8).

(15.) Maskith, "device" (Lev. 26:1; Num. 33:52). In Lev. 26:1, the words "image of stone" (A.V.) denote "a stone or cippus with the image of an idol, as Baal, Astarte, etc." In Ezek. 8:12, "chambers of imagery" (maskith), are "chambers of which the walls are painted with the figures of idols;" comp. ver. 10, 11.

(16.) Pesel, "a graven" or "carved image" (Isa. 44:10-20). It denotes also a figure cast in metal (Deut. 7:25; 27:15; Isa. 40:19; 44:10).

(17.) Massekah, "a molten image" (Deut. 9:12; Judg. 17:3, 4).

(18.) Teraphim, pl., "images," family gods (penates) worshipped by Abram's kindred (Josh. 24:14). Put by Michal in David's bed (Judg. 17:5; 18:14, 17, 18, 20; 1 Sam. 19:13).

"Nothing can be more instructive and significant than this multiplicity and variety of words designating the instruments and inventions of idolatry."

What is Idolatry?

The world's definitions

(source: American Heritage Dictionary, www.brainydictionary.com

Idolatry in many forms

Many religions hold that the purpose of worship is to bring one into connection with divinity. Any set of beliefs or practices which significantly interferes with this may, at some point, be termed "idolatry". Examples might include:

(source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idolatry#Idolatry_in_many_forms)
 

The Bible definitions

Idolatry in the Hebrew Bible

According to the Hebrew Bible, idolatry originated in the age of Eber, though some interpret the text to mean in the time of Serug; image worship existed in the time of Jacob, from the account of Rachel taking images along with her on leaving her father's house, which is given in the book of Genesis. Abraham's father, Terah, was an idol manufacturer / worshipper. When Abraham discovered the true God, he destroyed his father's idols (See Terah section for story)

The commandments in the Hebrew Bible against idolatry forbade the beliefs and practices of pagans who lived amongst the Israelites at the time, especially the religions of ancient Akkad, Mesopotamia, and Egypt.

Some of these religions, it is claimed in the Bible, had a set of practices which were prohibited under Jewish law, such as sex rites, cultic male and female prostitution, passing a child through a fire to Molech, and child sacrifice.

There is no one section that clearly defines idolatry; rather there are a number of commandments on this subject spread through the books of the Hebrew Bible, some of which were written in different historical eras, in response to different issues. Taking these verses together, idolatry in the Hebrew Bible is defined as either:

The last category, the use of idols in the worship of God, is the basis of Judaism' strict monotheism. In a number of places the Hebrew Bible makes clear that God has no shape or form; thus no idol or image could ever capture God's essence. For example, when the Israelites are visited by God in Deut. 4:25, they see no shape or form. Many verses in the Bible use anthropomorphisms to describe God, (e.g. God's mighty hand, God's finger, etc.) but these verses have always been understood as poetic images rather than literal descriptions.

The Bible records a struggle between the prophet's attempt to spread pure monotheism, and the tendency of some people, especially rulers such as Ahab to accept or to encourage others into polytheistic or idolatrous beliefs. The patriarch Abraham was called to spread the true knowledge of God, but the prophetic books still reflect a continuing struggle against idolatry. For example, the Biblical prophet Jeremiah complains: "According to the number of thy cities are thy gods, O Judah" (2:28).

The Bible has many terms for idolatry, and their usage represents the horror with which they filled the writers of the Bible. Thus idols are stigmatized "non-God" (Deut. 32:17, 21 [1]; Jer. 2:11 [2]), "things of naught" (Lev. 19:4 et passim [3]), "vanity" (Deut. 32), "iniquity" (1 Sam. 15:23 [4] ), "wind and confusion" (Isa. 41:29 [5]), "the dead" (Ps. 106:28 [6]), "carcasses" (Lev. 26:30; Jer. 16:18), "a lie" (Isa. 44:20 et passim [7]), and similar epithets.

Pagan idols are described as being made of gold, silver, wood, and stone. They are described as being only the work of men's hands, unable to speak, see, hear, smell, eat, grasp, or feel, and powerless either to injure or to benefit.

Idols were either designated in Hebrew by a term of general significance, or were named according to their material or the manner in which they were made. They said to have been were placed upon pedestals, and fastened with chains of silver or nails of iron lest they should fall over or be carried off (Isa. 40:19, 41:7; Jer. 10:14; Wisdom 13:15), and they were also clothed and colored (Jer. 10:9; Ezek. 16:18; Wisdom 15:4).

At first the gods and their images were conceived of as identical; but in later times a distinction was drawn between the god and the image. Nevertheless it was customary to take away the gods of the vanquished (Isa. 10:10-11, 36:19, 46:1; Jer. 48:7, 49:3; Hosea 10:5; Dan. 11:8), and a similar custom is frequently mentioned in the cuneiform texts.

(source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idolatry)

Warnings against idolatry

 The scriptures have an abundance of warnings against idolatry in its many forms including the following:

 "Little children, keep yourselves from idols," John (I John. 5: 21).
 

Some correct approaches to avoiding angel of light teachings

1. God is ALWAYS Sovereign and cannot be dictated to.
    
2. God is not subject to "spiritual laws" no more than He is subject to natural or man-made laws
    
3. True miracles, healings, signs and wonders, originate with The Holy Spirit Who gives these as part of Grace gifts manifested as part of the Gifts of The Spirit.  They have nothing to do with "spiritual laws" but they occur as The Holy Spirit Wills.
    
4. Christians are made free under all New Covenant laws
    
5. New Covenant laws are not for control
    
6. Humility when in prayer
    
7. Confidence in God's mercy and grace
    
8. Repentance and faith are required to receive from God
    
9. Personal relationship with The Holy Spirit Who will teach, guide and protect.
    
10. Seek to fulfil God's will on the earth and our lives
     
11. Seek God's strategy to achieve the required result.
     

Published 2006

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