The Idols of the Heart and The Kingdom of God

I never get tired of writing about the Kingdom of God, and it is the desire of my heart that Christians seek it first above all else, as Jesus instructs us in Matthew 6:33. But, in the Bible, we are also told to seek Him with our whole heart [in Psalm 119:2 and Jeremiah 29:13]. So, I hope to show you that our heart is not only important in establishing our faith and relationship with God and Jesus, but it is important in the matter of receiving the Kingdom of God.

In the Old Testament, the hearts of the Israelites were often in conflict; their hearts being divided between idolatry and their allegiance to YHWH. [For the sake of this article, I will define idolatry as anything that we build an altar to in our heart, or that sits on the throne of our heart.] And through careful study, it has become clear to me that God will speak to us according to what sits on that throne.

Just take a look at what God says to the idolatrous elders of Israel [through the prophet Ezekiel]: "these men have set up [and honored] their idols in their hearts and have put right before their faces the [vile] stumbling block of their wickedness and guilt; should I [permit Myself to] be consulted by them at all? Therefore speak to them and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “Any man of the house of Israel who takes his idols [of rebellion] into his heart, and puts the [vile] stumbling block of his wickedness and guilt [images of silver and gold] before his face, and yet comes to the prophet [to ask of him], I the Lord will answer him, [but I will answer him] in accordance with the number of his idols in order that I may take hold of the heart (mind) of the house of Israel who are all estranged from Me because of their idols" (Ezekiel 14:3-5). 

In other words, men may seek guidance from pastors or prophets in the Church about their circumstances, while secretly holding worldly idols in their heart, expecting to get an answer from God. But this scripture in Ezekiel shows us that the Lord knows our hearts and He will answer the person according to what those idols are! So, it is clear to me that God may not always speak His Truth to us, if our hearts aren't right with Him, but will speak according to what we are idolizing in our heart. Therefore, we have a responsibility to safeguard our hearts from any form of idolatry. 

Furthermore, God warns against receiving a false prophetic word in verses 9-11: "But if the prophet [who speaks without My authority] is enticed to speak a word [of his own], it is I the Lord who have caused that prophet [to speak falsely to please the inquirer, thus allowing himself to be a party to the inquirer’s sin], and I will stretch out My hand against him and destroy him from among My people Israel.  They [both] will bear the punishment of their wickedness; the sin of the [counterfeit] prophet will be the same as the sin of the [hypocritical] inquirer, so that the house of Israel may no longer drift away from Me and no longer defile themselves with all their transgressions, but they will be My people, and I will be their God,”’ says the Lord God.” 

[NOTE: I hope it is clear to you that it is always God's desire that people recognize their sin, and return to Him. And because God is the same today as He was in Ezekiel's time, my spirit is sensitive to warning the Body of Christ to correctly discern a hypocritical inquirer/seeker and a counterfeit prophet. Neither benefit the Kingdom of God]. 

Further evidence that God will speak according to what sits on the throne of our heart is found in 1 Kings 22. This is the account of King Ahab and the false prophets. Ahab's heart had turned from God to wickedness and he idolized all that his status as king had provided him. When he seeks an answer from his prophets as to whether he should go to battle against the Syrians, God gives permission to a lying spirit to speak to the prophets of Jezebel to deceive Ahab because God knows the king will receive their prophecy according to the idolatrous state of his heart. 

Just as Ahab found out, [because God has given free will to mankind], there are consequences to having an idolatrous heart! And those consequences don't apply just in the Old Testament. We New Testament Believers are just as susceptible to idolatry [in our hearts] and its consequences. If our hearts aren't right with God, the word we think we are receiving may not be right, either. It is imperative that our hearts be pure and that we submit to the righteous Word of God, and then we will hear and receive His truth! That should give all of us pause ... are we hearing from a heart that is pure and righteous?

In addition, it is vitally important that we guard our hearts against all idolatry, because Proverbs 4:23 tells us everything we do flows from the heart. And sometimes I think we Christians get careless about idolatry in our hearts. We tend to think it is the obvious things of the world, like wealth or power or material things that can become idols in our heart. We think as long as we are Saved, there is no one but Jesus that occupies the throne of our heart. 

But Jesus came preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom, not just the Gospel of Salvation. He says that is why He was sent (Luke 4:43). And that Good News of the Kingdom of God didn't sit very well with the religious leaders of Israel, the very people He came to deliver. Why? Because Religion always responds according to the idolatry of the heart. Even today, in the 21st Century, try to speak to some Christians about the rule and reign of God's Kingdom government on earth, and what it looks like, and you will meet the same kind of opposition Jesus did.  

Religion idolizes its own traditions, rituals, denominational teachings, movements, and self-righteousness. They can all influence our heart. Kingdom is what Jesus did... setting people free; impacting everything and everyone on earth with the power and authority and love of God until it becomes "as it is in heaven". Just because we know the grace of God in our Salvation, it does not mean our hearts are pure and free of idolatry. It does not mean that we have received the Gospel of the Kingdom that Jesus stressed throughout His ministry, nor that He alone sits on the throne of our heart.

Please know that I do not write from a sense that I have a heart that is exceptionally pure and free of any form of idolatry. I do not hold myself up as the standard-bearer. Only Jesus meets that criteria. But as I grow and mature in my faith, I am becoming aware that I can't ignore idolatry when it tries to take root in my heart. The Holy Spirit is making it impossible for me to ignore the temptation of making anything or anyone an idol, and I find myself in a state of unrest [with no peace], until I discover what is trying to grow in rebellion to God. 

The New Testament tells us in Ephesians 3:14-19, that through the power of the Holy Spirit in us, Christ can dwell in your heart. Furthermore, as the Word, Jesus is living and active, discerning the thoughts and intentions of our heart (Hebrews 4:12). Other translations say He "exposes and judges the very intentions and thoughts of our heart", or that He "interprets and reveals the true thoughts and secret motives of our hearts". In other words the hidden aspects of our hearts are known by Him and any idolatry is uncovered.

We can see a picture of this concept in Jesus's exchange with Nicodemus, a Pharisee and member of the Sanhedrin, the council of religious rulers in Israel.  In John 2:23-3:5, Nicodemus comes to Jesus by night. He has seen the signs of the Kingdom of God that Jesus has performed, but his religious heart is still skeptical. But notice what Scripture says just before Nicodemus speaks. ... Many people identified with Jesus because they had seen the miracles, but Jesus didn't trust them because He knew how fickle human hearts can be, and because He knew what was in each man's heart -- exactly what Hebrews 4:12 says.

But also notice this ... when Nicodemus says to Jesus, "Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with Him", Scripture says, "Jesus answered him, 'I assure you and most solemnly say to you, unless a person is born again [reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, sanctified], he cannot [ever] see and experience the kingdom of God.'" Wait a minute! Nicodemus didn't ask a question, yet Jesus answered him according to what was in his heart and what he needed! You see, Nicodemus is seeking truth but he is still steeped in religion as a member of the Sanhedrin, so he doesn't even know what to ask. The same holds true today -- Religion doesn't know the question nor the answer! But Jesus answers Nicodemus according to what Nicodemus needs -- the Kingdom Gospel! And the Kingdom will always answer the questions of your heart according to your need and not your idolatry. 

Think about it -- Jesus never offered a Sinner's prayer to anyone -- that's Religion! He offered all who came to Him what they needed ... physical healing, spiritual healing through casting out of demons, and the hope of transformation and rebirth into a heavenly system; not a man-made system of religion. And it's important that we recognize that Jesus did not pray, heal, or cast out demons for everyone -- only those who were drawn to Him. He knew who wanted Kingdom because He could discern the state of their heart and the presence of idolatry, if it was there. And those who wanted what He offered couldn't resist Him!

Jesus's ministry of the Kingdom on earth began as a small mustard seed in the backwaters of the Roman Empire, but it was planned and designed [from Heaven] to expand across the earth. And whether a person's heart is free of the idolatry of wealth, status, power -- and yes, even religion -- and is ready to receive the Kingdom is exemplified in the Parable of the Sower ... "When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart". 

I can tell you that my husband and I have often seen this in our ministry. I have to be careful to discern who really wants Kingdom and who wants Religion, because the Kingdom message does not mix with any other belief system, nor will it compromise. Those who try to divide the throne of their heart between Kingdom and Religion will find themselves indecisive, unstable in their thoughts, and wavering between different opinions and actions. To truly experience the Kingdom of God that Jesus came to establish, the Kingdom must occupy the throne of one's heart, along with one possessing a desire to align one's life with the government of God on earth -- a Kingdom where there is no sickness and no poverty; where one is ready to consider God's perspective in all we say and do; to "Kingdom-ize" everything!!!

So, I want to make it clear that I did not write this post to condemn anyone or to question anyone's faith. My only objective was to point out that the Word of God shows us the dangers of idolatry in our heart, and how it can distort our own discernment. And as the parable of the Sower indicates ... if, as followers of Christ, we are not preaching "the word of the Kingdom", we are not providing good seed to be sown in the hearts of men. It's one thing to not understand it; it's another to never have heard it. May we all purge our hearts of idolatry of every kind and share what Jesus preached -- the Gospel of the Kingdom!

Hebrews 4:13      And not a creature exists that is concealed from His sight, but all things are open and exposed, and revealed to the eyes of Him with whom we have to give account.

Part 1: Why We Need to Understand & Preach the Gospel of the Kingdom

I want to present an idea that is clearly explained in the Bible, yet we, as the Body of Christ, often don't recognize it. As elucidated in Luke 4:43, the purpose of Jesus's coming was to announce that the Kingdom of God would be established on earth. Christians today, however, tend to focus on His message of Salvation, and we rarely proclaim what He taught about the Kingdom of God, or the Kingdom of Heaven, which are the same thing. Remember that in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you”(Matthew 6:33).  Salvation was not his primary focus ... the Kingdom of God was. 

Jesus is teaching His disciples the importance of knowing what He meant by the Kingdom of God, and making sure they knew it was His purpose; why He was sent. And when Jesus spoke of the Kingdom of God, He spoke in terms of a real government—a structured, organized entity with the very authority of God behind it. (Certain rulers who heard Christ's message recognized the political implications and viewed His words as a threat to their own power. This became a factor in Christ's eventual crucifixion).  

But God is a God of order. To Jesus and His disciples, the term "Kingdom of God" meant a government that would be established on earth. They anticipated that its arrival would amount to nothing less than a sweeping, overwhelming change in the world order. And those in power could not let that happen. The powerful still don't want to recognize the supremacy of His government!

We also need to recognize that there are two different fulfillments we need to consider when discussing the Kingdom of God: 1) The Bible shows that when the Kingdom comes in the future, the returning Christ will take His place as divine ruler of the earth. It is a literal Kingdom on earth, with Jesus as the ruler.  2) Since the Kingdom is wherever the King is ruler, if He is the ruler of your heart, then the spiritual Kingdom of God exists in you HERE AND NOW.  

In light of these two fulfillments, it is important that we contemplate the chapter of Matthew 13, which consists entirely of parables about the Kingdom of Heaven. The disciples asked Jesus, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” And He answered them, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.” Notice that He doesn't say you have been given the knowledge of Salvation ... No! He was teaching them about the significance of the Kingdom of Heaven and why it was important, both in the present and in the future.

In each of the parables in Matthew 13, Jesus presents an argument that begins with, "The Kingdom of Heaven is like...".  I don't know about you, but for years, I read those parables in terms of what moral lesson He was trying to teach me. I never made the connection that they all pointed to the Kingdom of Heaven. As I looked for a lesson in each one, I missed that He was giving us valuable information that pertained to Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.  Let me give you a short synopsis on each of the parables and why it was important to Jesus that we get this concept. I recommend that you read these parables in Matthew, Chapter 13, with a new spiritual eye towards The Kingdom of God.

The Parable of the Sower:  Each soil represents one of four responses to the teaching of the Kingdom of God. With each response, but one, the message is lost. 

The Parable of the Wheat and Tares (Weeds):  There was corruption in the Kingdom, but it will be sorted out at harvest time.

The Parable of the Mustard Seed:  (This is the most fascinating to me, and is an alternate view of the one most often presented!)  This parable accurately describes what the kingdom community became in the decades and centuries after the Christianization of the Roman Empire. In those centuries the Church grew abnormally large in influence and dominion, and was a nest for much corruption.  Close study of birds as symbols in the Old Testament, and especially in the literature of later Judaism, shows that birds regularly symbolize evil and even demons or Satan.

The Parable of the Leaven: Three measures is far more leaven than is needed to make bread, and represents the addition of corruption and impurity through “paganizing influences” introduced into the Kingdom.

The Parable of the Hidden Treasure: The man is Jesus and this parable speaks of how highly the King values the people of His kingdom.  The treasure that is so wonderful that Jesus would give all to purchase is the individual believer. This powerfully shows how Jesus gave everything to redeem the whole world to preserve a treasure in it, and the treasure is His people.

The Parable of the Pearl of Great Value: Again, Jesus is the buyer and the individual believer is the pearl that He sees as so valuable that He would happily give all to have it forever. To the ancient peoples that Jesus was speaking to, a pearl was the loveliest of all possessions; Jesus is telling them that the people of His Kingdom are the most valuable thing to Him.

The Parable of the (Drag)Net: Jesus shows that the world will remain divided right up until the end, and the Church will not reform the world. The King will return, the angels will assist the King in the work of judgment, and He will establish His Kingdom on earth.

As I have studied further about Jesus's teachings on the Kingdom of God, I now understand how the early Church might have been confused about it's significance, and how that has translated to near ignorance on the part of the modern Church. 

In fact, the hope of the early church was that the Lord would return in the clouds to establish a Kingdom of peace and justice. That is what Jesus preached! They had yet to learn that the Kingdom was in them! The Disciples believed in the literal return and reign of Christ on earth. Jesus, Himself, said in Matthew 25:31, “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne.” He goes on to say in verse 32, that He will then judge the nations, separating the sheep from the goats. But He also told them in Luke 17:21:  "You won't be able to say, 'Here it is!' or 'It's over there!' For the Kingdom of God is already among you."  We can see both the future and the present Kingdoms of God presented here.

So, how have we come to lose the importance of Jesus's message about the Kingdom of God?  It began to change through the centuries as follows: The Church began to limit the idea of the Kingdom of God to just mean the 1,000 year reign of Christ in the Millennial Kingdom. While The Kingdom of God and the Millennial Kingdom aren’t the same, they do overlap. Then theologians began arguing if the Millennial Kingdom was literal or allegorical. The early Church fathers Papias, Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, and Tertullian believed in a literal Millennial Kingdom. In the 3rd Century, Origen was the first to present the allegorical theory. Then just a few years later, Augustine changed the theory even more.  He “identified the Church with the Kingdom of God and maintained that the millennial age had already come”.  In his highly influential book The City of God, Augustine wrote: “Therefore the Church, even now, is the kingdom of Christ, and the kingdom of heaven” (Book XX, Chapter 9). In essence, Augustine taught that the Church in this present world is the Kingdom of God, and “the thousand years stand for all the years of the Christian era”. 

We need to remember that the Hebrew prophets showed that the arrival of God's Kingdom on earth would bring worldwide peace, physical abundance and divine righteousness.  Isaiah 2:4 tells us that He will judge among the nations, and rebuke many people; that people will beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; and that nations won’t lift their swords against other nations, and man will learn war no more.

But history shows us that the “Christian era” or “the Church era” that Augustine equated with God's Kingdom has been a time of violence, war, death, starvation and widespread lawlessness. We certainly can’t say mankind is no longer learning war! So the Church, in this "Age of Grace," has obviously not spread Jesus’s Gospel Message about the Kingdom of God! 

Continuing from the historical perspective, in the 18th Century mankind adopted “the Age of Reason”, and instead of basing all knowledge in Biblical revelation, they tried to build on the foundation of human reason.  Theologians that adopted this concept believed that “Western civilization was establishing Christ's earthly rule”. And they began to teach that Mankind was “improving” and through our human power and ingenuity we could establish a righteous world. (SIDE NOTE:  We’ve left the “righteousness” part of that world equation behind, and now through our human power and ingenuity, we’re going to “improve” through transhumanism, including man merging with machine).

Those theologians also taught that as the Church, we should set good examples of Christian living, which would influence society and culture… we haven’t done a very good job of that if you look at our society today. And even though that idea was preached by the theologians of the day, the Church received no commission to politically reform the society by seeking God’s righteousness, and from the Roman Empire on, we have NOT seen the governments of the world conform to what Jesus said the Kingdom of God was: a structured, organized entity with the very authority of God behind it.  And throughout the centuries, the Church has not preached that as a goal!  Instead, church members heard from their leaders that they should hope and pray for God's Kingdom to come [in the future], while concentrating on the Salvation message.

That literal Kingdom on earth WILL COME and Jesus WILL be the Divine Ruler of His Kingdom on earth.  In that sense the Kingdom of God is future and we look forward to our inheritance. BUT the Kingdom of God also refers to the King’s realm into which we may now enter to experience the blessings of His reign in our hearts.  REMEMBER:  the parable of the Sower is all about what is sown in our hearts; that’s the personal realm that Jesus concentrated on and wants to be King of.

So, in this earthly realm, it is perhaps easier to comprehend that the Kingdom of God exists in our hearts.  Our spirits give us hints that He is there, and our souls (our minds, emotions and will) will show us He is real and there is evidence of Him --- IF WE SEEK THE KINGDOM OF GOD FIRST.  

As for the literal establishment of God’s Kingdom at the return of Christ, God's timetable may differ from man's. God does not allow man to foresee the chronological details of His plan, but the outcome is certain. God will do what He has promised. 

Finally, here is the really important concept I hope you will grasp ... After the true biblical teaching of the Kingdom of God was removed, the gospel message was changed from the message about the Kingdom to a message primarily about Jesus Christ.  It would become a message that Christianity would triumph over its enemies in the world. And it was a message that faith in Jesus would yield eternal salvation ... both true, but these were not the "Good News" that Jesus had come to preach, nor the purpose for which He was sent.  (Read the Scripture that follows). In other words, Christianity kept the name of Jesus Christ, but abandoned His message.

Part Two of this topic will take a look at what Jesus meant by the "secrets" or the "mysteries" of the Kingdom.

Luke 4:43   But He said, “I must preach [the good news of] the kingdom of God to the other cities also, because I was sent for this purpose.”

"Surface Level" Christianity

I'm in the process of developing the outline for a new book I want to write, with the working title of "From 'Surface Level' to 'Deep Roots': What the Body of Christ Needs to Understand About Our Identity in Christ". This subject matter has been stirring up my spirit for awhile now, and I continue to hear the promptings to write another book. I've had ideas in mind since the last one I wrote in the Spring of 2020. But each time I settled on what I thought the focus would be, the Holy Spirit whispered, "Go Deeper". And the events of the last two years certainly call for an awakening in the Body of Christ to understand God's intention for us in these tumultuous times.

I am also struck by the number of times that people of faith have recently mentioned to me their frustration at encountering "surface level" Christians. The age range using that particular phrase has run from a Millennial Christian [in describing the lack of depth in her counterparts in the Church], to a "seasoned" Christian, who bemoaned the absence of substantial understanding of Biblical history or prophecy, to all the age groups in between. Apparently, there is a noticeable lack of commitment to a lifestyle of real faith.

Of course, I'm not painting the entire Body of Christ with this broad brush, but as we continue to be stretched in our faith, due to national and world events, I am unable to ignore what I discern ... that many Christians are struggling with coping with their fears of the future; or making life decisions out of fear; or mistrusting the promises of the Bible. Then there are those who turn a blind eye to the very real threats we face, and struggle to believe that persecution or trials and tribulations are a possibility. Yes, the ultimate victory is ours in Christ and what He accomplished on the Cross, but I think that God wants us to see the "Big Picture" ... the good, the bad, and the ugly that is in this world ... but see it from His perspective; His vantage point from Heaven, and as Creator.

We cannot simply revel in the "Good News" that we are Saved and our victory in Christ is eternal life. Don't mistake me -- that is our ultimate reward and inheritance as a child of God; and it is greatly to be prized and shared! But we have a job to do while we are here, and if at first it is to recognize Jesus as our Savior, how more productive for His Kingdom on earth is our work to advance the knowledge and acceptance of that Kingdom among all peoples, tribes, and nations? At the same time, we cannot remain naive that we have a very real and cunning, calculating Enemy whose sole goal is to stop us from completing our divinely-allocated objective. Just because we can see the finish line of our race, doesn't mean there won't be pitfalls, peril, and dangers to deter us along the way. It is the wise that proceed boldly, but with wisdom.

Therefore, one who hyper-focuses on the safe, comfort zone of Christianity may only reach a surface level of faith; a level that is most likely being greatly challenged in recent months. We can't always "lie down in green pastures". Sometimes we find ourselves walking in "the valley of the shadow of death" [as so many have experienced in the last two years]. It's easy to rejoice in our faith when we're standing on the top of the mountain, and the view is one of only sunshine, and speaks primarily of God's beauty and grace. But what would your reaction be if you suddenly found yourself plunged into darkness and you couldn't see evidence of God anywhere? Is your trust gone? Do you give in to fear and despair? Do you feel powerless? Or do you simply refuse to acknowledge that it exists or that anything bad can happen?

I've often written that the 21st Century Church needs to return to its 1st Century roots. Those new Christians were walking on unstable ground. The Enemy had just lost his biggest weapon to keep mankind separated from God ... Death. And those faithful few were in the cross-hairs of his rage. They found themselves imprisoned; ship-wrecked; beaten; run out of town; and ultimately all were either scourged, crucified, beheaded with a sword, thrown in boiling oil, lanced by idolatrous priests and burned up in an oven, axed to death, thrown down from the Temple tower and then clubbed to death, stoned or beheaded.

If we call Jesus Christ our Savior, we must be prepared not only to enjoy the seasons of goodness, grace, mercy, and prosperity, but to endure the seasons of troubles, chaos, wickedness and evil. Jesus did not promise us that we would run our race without stumbling or coming under attack. He only promised that He would be with us through it all. I know there are many Christians who think what occurred in the 1st Century could never happen now; that we are destined for another "great awakening" in this nation; a national and worldwide revival; that the saints in Christ will escape to Heaven before suffering the devil's revenge; or that the evil on the earth will be defeated before Jesus returns. But that is not what the Bible says! I pray for an awakening ... that the fire of the Holy Spirit is kindled in the Body of Christ to their identity and their purpose in this hour of history! And I pray that their spirits are revived to know the power they have to resist the devil and take back dominion in their bodies, in their lives, in the Church and in the earth!

It all comes down to the Parable of the Sower, but the meaning will escape the "Surface Christians". Is your faith like the seed that is scattered on the top layer of the ground? Is it shallow and veiled in appearance? Or is it allowed to penetrate and inform your heart with the deeper things of God -- the things that have been known since the beginning of the world and down through the ages, but the modern Church ignores because it doesn't fit their paradigm or theology? Precisely because God sent our spirits to inhabit the earth in this particular time of history, I believe it is important that the roots of our faith grow deep and wide. We are going to need to be grounded in the knowledge of our heart and head, and particularly established in our spiritual abilities to connect to the power of God in Heaven. 

Ancient civilizations as far back as the Sumerians [5500 years ago] wrote about the battles they witnessed between good and evil. Yes, God, Himself came to earth to reconnect with His creation and re-establish our relationship. But the forces of evil did not just submit and go away. The same strategies have been played out through the centuries, and while those stories and legends seem implausible for today, we would be wise to consider them -- not because it has an effect on our salvation -- but because the Enemy is still using the same methods and manipulations to deceive mankind. 

The Church will say that everything in the past changed when Jesus brought the gift of Salvation. But the Church rarely acknowledges that He referred to the past when He said, "As it was in the days of Noah...". Furthermore, most Christians have never taken the time to study or understand all that was going on "in the days of Noah", or the vast history of mankind that led up to it. While the modern Church may think it has no significance for them, I [personally] want to see how my God worked in that situation so that I can take what He reveals to me and spend time with Him in His Throne Room. I want to receive a greater revelation to encourage and exhort others to hang on to their faith when the days on earth grow dark. The more I know about God [in my spirit and through His perspective], the better I can represent Him in all things coming on the earth. It's time for the Body of Christ to go from "surface" to "deep" in their understanding of themselves and God. The times demand it!

Next Time: A Deeper Understanding of Our True Identity

Romans 15:4      Whatever was written beforehand is meant to instruct us in how to live. The Scriptures impart to us encouragement and inspiration so that we can live in hope and endure all things.

 

 

Right Before Our Very Eyes

      Next month my husband, Mark, and I will be presenting a one-day teaching entitled, Freemasonry, the New World Order, and the Anti-Christ Spirit. As I've been organizing what we want to say, and developing the PowerPoint presentation, I've been forced to step back and look at just how subtle Satan has been in weaving his plan in the midst of the Father's intention for mankind.

     From the very beginning, in the Garden, through the temptation of both Adam and Eve, Satan has sought to corrupt mankind through the sin of thinking they can become their own god. This act in the Garden changed man's position from an immortal spiritual being [in the image of God] to a being with physical limitations. We moved from a transfigured spiritual existence to a lower physical reality, subject to the devil's agenda to steal, kill, or destroy any possibility of re-establishing that original relationship with our Creator.

     Even after Jesus comes as our Savior, and the Kingdom of God was initiated on the earth, Satan has not abandoned his efforts to entice man by convincing him he can rule the world as his own god. Nimrod is one of the first men to align himself with the devil and seek to usurp God's sovereignty. He was the King of Shinar (Babylon) and he took advantage of the fact that the people all spoke the same language, and convinced them to build a city with a tower that reached heaven, in order that they might "make a name for themselves", so they would not be scattered over the face of the whole earth. This is the same temptation with which the devil would entice Jesus when he offered Him "all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor" [their riches]. God's purpose was for man to live for His name, scattering over the earth to proclaim Him!

     From Nimrod down through the centuries -- from Nebuchadnezzar to Alexander the Great to Robespierre to Joseph Stalin to Adolph Hitler to Mao Zedong -- they've all succumbed to the Anti-Christ spirit of Satan to seek their own kingdom and government of the masses, while reserving the power and riches for themselves. They've often been occultist, which is defined as seeking to gain supernatural power, abilities, or knowledge apart from the Creator God. And it is all disobedience to God!

     But our Father has shown Himself to be a faithful Sower of Good Seed, producing men who will receive His truth and perpetuate His Kingdom on earth. Satan, however, has not stood idly by. As Jesus tells us in His Parable of the Wheat and Tares, Satan has sown his seed among the good seed and they have grown up in the midst of God's field [the world]. They have sprung up, like weeds, within our philosophies, our cultures, and our forms of government; at first, they resemble righteous men in appearance, except their hearts grow black. They have lost the quality of godliness and they poison ordinary men with their promises of power, wealth, social equality and justice. But, in the end, they only produce death for the souls of nations.

     Throughout history that death has come in various ideologies .... Feudalism (societal structure based on holding of land in exchange for labor); Plutocracy (government by the wealthy); Autocracy (supreme political power in the hands of one); Anarchy (abolition of the State as undesirable, unnecessary, and harmful) ... and our modern systems of Marxism, which is the basis for Communism (both of which advocate a class war in which property is publicly owned; there is no encouragement of individual rights or ownership). None of these ideologies harmonize with God's Kingdom system of government, where our faith in Him produces citizens who are productive, self-motivated, charitable, and servants at heart; men and women who are free to follow the Lord's ways above their own, and incorporate His Laws as their laws.

     Now, in this 21st Century, in the year 2020, we once again find Satan influencing the hearts of men as they reach for their piece of the world's power "pie". And sadly, the Body of Christ has been lulled to sleep by the soothing lies of the devil, who has convinced us that we are  "comfortable in our wealth and we do not need a thing." But Satan sees us ripe for the picking as he leads the world towards his goal of lawlessness and anarchy. He has firmly anchored his economic and political systems of Marxism and Communism in the hearts of godless men.

     Just consider some of these quotes from Karl Marx, Joseph Stalin, and Saul Alinksy (political activist who has greatly influenced some of our most powerful politicians; Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, among them).... "My goal is to dethrone God and destroy capitalism" (Marx). "Religion is... the opium of the people" (Marx). "We do not fight against believers or even the clergymen. WE FIGHT AGAINST GOD to snatch believers from him" (Stalin). "God is on your side? Is he a conservative? The Devil's on my side, he's a good Communist" (Stalin). In the dedication of his book, Rules for Radicals, Saul Alinsky wrote, "Lest we we forget at least an over-the-shoulder acknowledgement to the very first radical ... to the first radical known to man who rebelled against the establishment and did it so effectively that he at least won his own kingdom -- Lucifer".

     So, right now, from our halls of government to our classrooms to our streets full of chaos, we are seeing the latest anti-Christ agenda of Communism and Marxism being fulfilled. This is not a political statement... I don't believe God is interested in our politics. He is interested in how we, if we call ourselves citizens of the Kingdom of God on earth, are governing this realm according to His tenets and principles established in Heaven. And I would like to give you just an idea of how far we are off the mark ... On January 10, 1963, Democratic Representative Albert Sydney Herlong, Jr. read into the Congressional Record a list of 45 goals of Communism from the book The Naked Communist by W. Cleon Skousen. I want to show you just how much has been accomplished in the last 57 years -- during my lifetime!

Communist Goals

1. U.S. acceptance of coexistence as the only alternative to atomic war.
3. Develop the illusion that total disarmament [by] the United States would be a demonstration of moral strength.
4. Permit free trade between all nations regardless of Communist affiliation and regardless of whether or not items could be used for war.
5. Extension of long-term loans to Russia and Soviet satellites.

6. Provide American aid to all nations regardless of Communist domination.

7. Grant recognition of Red China. Admission of Red China to the U.N.
11. Promote the U.N. as the only hope for mankind. If its charter is rewritten, demand that it be set up as a one-world government with its own independent armed forces. 

15. Capture one or both of the political parties in the United States.

16. Use technical decisions of the courts to weaken basic American institutions by claiming their activities violate civil rights.

17. Get control of the schools. Use them as transmission belts for socialism and current Communist propaganda. Soften the curriculum. Get control of teachers' associations. Put the party line in textbooks.

18. Gain control of all student newspapers.

19. Use student riots to foment public protests against programs or organizations which are under Communist attack.

20. Infiltrate the press. Get control of book-review assignments, editorial writing, policy-making positions.

21. Gain control of key positions in radio, TV, and motion pictures.

22. Continue discrediting American culture by degrading all forms of artistic expression. An American Communist cell was told to "eliminate all good sculpture from parks and buildings, substitute shapeless, awkward and meaningless forms."

23. Control art critics and directors of art museums. "Our plan is to promote ugliness, repulsive, meaningless art."

24. Eliminate all laws governing obscenity by calling them "censorship" and a violation of free speech and free press.

25. Break down cultural standards of morality by promoting pornography and obscenity in books, magazines, motion pictures, radio, and TV.

26. Present homosexuality, degeneracy and promiscuity as "normal, natural, healthy."

27. Infiltrate the churches and replace revealed religion with "social" religion. Discredit the Bible and emphasize the need for intellectual maturity which does not need a "religious crutch."

28. Eliminate prayer or any phase of religious expression in the schools on the ground that it violates the principle of "separation of church and state."

29. Discredit the American Constitution by calling it inadequate, old-fashioned, out of step with modern needs, a hindrance to cooperation between nations on a worldwide basis.

30. Discredit the American Founding Fathers. Present them as selfish aristocrats who had no concern for the "common man."
31. Belittle all forms of American culture and discourage the teaching of American history on the ground that it was only a minor part of the "big picture." Give more emphasis to Russian history since the Communists took over.

32. Support any socialist movement to give centralized control over any part of the culture--education, social agencies, welfare programs, mental health clinics, etc.
35. Discredit and eventually dismantle the FBI.

36. Infiltrate and gain control of more unions.

37. Infiltrate and gain control of big business.

38. Transfer some of the powers of arrest from the police to social agencies. Treat all behavioral problems as psychiatric disorders which no one but psychiatrists can understand [or treat].

39. Dominate the psychiatric profession and use mental health laws as a means of gaining coercive control over those who oppose Communist goals.

40. Discredit the family as an institution. Encourage promiscuity and easy divorce.
41. Emphasize the need to raise children away from the negative influence of parents. Attribute prejudices, mental blocks and retarding of children to suppressive influence of parents.

42. Create the impression that violence and insurrection are legitimate aspects of the American tradition; that students and special-interest groups should rise up and use "united force" to solve economic, political or social problems.

 

     That is 33 of the 45 Communist goals that have been reached in this country. I understand that Communism is kind of an old-fashioned idea in this country, and since The Naked Communist was written in 1958, and presented before Congress in 1963, the idea that the New World Order might be working through Communism in their plot to overcome and control all of the world's governments, has been variously called "a right wing conspiracy theory" and patently false. But can we deny the words of the anti-Christ Communist leaders -- or how quickly these 33 goals have been achieved?

     Again, I do not present this to you as part of a political statement, but to show you that the Anti-Christ spirit has been active and tireless in its agenda ever since Nimrod sought to use his form of violence and insurrection against God to see a "united force" establish a one-world government.

     And it's happening quickly and right before our very eyes! As Christians, we abandoned our identity as watchers on the wall. It's no wonder when we look in the mirror, we so often identify with the Church of Laodicea... we've become wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. But it's not too late! As long as the remnant is willing to take a stand, I believe God can defeat the physical and spiritual armies of Satan. But we must take off the blindfold and get in the fight! We've heard the Anti-Christ is coming, but it is not yet the last hour, so let's join forces with God and Jesus and show the Enemy what our agenda looks like!

1 John 1:22      Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son.

    

    

Why We Have Tolerated The Weeds

    

     Once again, as I've studied familiar Scripture, the Lord has shined His light upon the Word to give me a new and fresh revelation. We are studying Matthew in our Home Church and, specifically, Matthew 13, best known for the richness of the parables Jesus shared with His disciples.

     If you've spent any time at all reading your Bible, then these parables are familiar to you. And if you are like me, my initial understanding of them was that Jesus spoke in terms of simple stories, in order to teach a moral or spiritual lesson. Theses "lessons" were to be applicable down through the centuries to His followers. And I thought I'd done a pretty good job of comprehending what He was trying to teach me. That is, until I discovered His message of the Kingdom. That changed everything!

     It began with the recognition that the Kingdom of God was the central point of the parables, and that the Parable of the Sower is the foundation for understanding all the parables. Jesus confirms this in Mark 4:13 when He asks His disciples, "If you don’t understand this parable [of the Sower], how will you understand any parable?"

     So, Jesus proceeds to explain the Parable of the Sower in Matthew 13:18-23. How many of you, like me, missed verse 19 completely? How many, like me, were stunned when the Lord shined His Light on this fundamental truth in His Word? He says, The hard path where some of the seeds fell represents the heart of a person who hears the Good News about the Kingdom and doesn’t understand it; then Satan comes and snatches away the seeds from his heart. As we've all been taught by the Church, the "Gospel" is the "Good News" of Jesus Christ. He couldn't make it any clearer in this parable ... He is the Sower bringing the Gospel of the Kingdom into the hearts of men who will receive it! It is important that we distinguish which Gospel Jesus is sowing into the hearts of men in this parable! Check out the various translations in the Bible.... almost all of them identify "the seed" as the "word of the Kingdom".

     As I've written in previous posts (here and here), I am not downplaying or discrediting the Gospel of Salvation, but that wasn't His primary message to the crowds or to His disciples. Salvation is the necessary and mandatory entry point into the Kingdom of God. Jesus explains that quite well in John 3:1-5. Please read that, if you are confused about the difference between the two Gospels. Because, today, I want to show you why this confusion even exists today. And believe me, the Body of Christ needs to understand this truth in this critical hour.

     All you have to do is query the internet about the meaning of the parable of the Sower and you will find such vague and misleading answers as these .... The man represents God and the seed is His message. But what Message? Salvation or Kingdom?.... The moral of the Parable of the Sower is that not everyone who hears the Christian gospel will understand and believe. But which Gospel? Salvation or the Kingdom?

     So, why is it so difficult for the Body of Christ to grasp this important and crucial message about the Kingdom? Jesus made it clear that the Kingdom message was of primary importance to Him. In Luke 4:43, He says, “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose.” Why does the Church stay focused on the good news of Salvation, instead of taking the next step and sharing that once a person is Saved, they are to see and understand the Kingdom and enter into it? That's why they are here on earth!

     It's taken me a long time to get to the central point of this blog, but here it is .... In Matthew, after presenting the most important parable of the Sower, Jesus then shares the Parable of the Wheat and Tares [or Weeds]. Do you think that is a coincidence? If you believe as I do, that the Bible is the inspired Word of God, then join me in understanding what our Lord is telling us in this pivotal parable.

     In Matthew 13:24-30, Jesus has this exchange with His Disciples, "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. And the servants of the master of the house came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?’ He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ So the servants said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ But he said, ‘No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, “Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.”

     We know from the previous parable of the Sower that the man is Jesus, the good seed is the Gospel of the Kingdom, and the field is the world which Jesus created. So how did weeds get in this field and what does it mean for us? This time, Jesus is more succinct in explaining the meaning of His parable. He says, "The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, and the good seed is the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, and the enemy who sowed them is the devil."

     I want you to focus on this small portion of the parable ...  that Jesus sowed the good seed of the Gospel of the Kingdom, but while "his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also". Are you able to discern that Jesus accomplished His mission of sowing the Gospel of the Kingdom into the world, which means the Gospel was received by the sons of the kingdom [the Disciples] and the Body of Christ, or the Church, was born. But after that first generation of Disciples died [were sleeping], others came into the Church and sowed seeds from the Enemy. These seeds represent men who began to alter Jesus's Gospel of the Kingdom, to focus primarily on the Gospel of Salvation. While this Gospel is not wrong and is most important, it stops short of Jesus's full mission for us ... receive Salvation and then enter the Kingdom to bring the government of Heaven down to earth.

     And here is an expanded meaning of what the weeds represent: In the King James Bible, “weeds” is called “tares”, and this is how the Concordance describes them: “A kind of darnel (Eurasian ryegrass) that grows as tall as wheat and barley, and resembles wheat in appearance, except the seeds are black. It is seen by the Jews as degenerate wheat (it has lost the qualities of wheat). The seeds are poisonous to man, producing sleepiness, nausea, convulsions and even death. The plants can be separated out, but the custom, as in the parable, is to leave the cleaning out till near the time of harvest”.

      If as true Christians, we desire to righteously represent our Lord, why have we tolerated these "weeds" in our midst? It's because these “weeds” have grown up alongside the men of the Kingdom since the inception of the Early Church, poisoning its teachings. They introduced denominationalism with all its varied doctrines and traditions, and hid the Gospel of the Kingdom from the Body of Christ. They promoted Salvation as the be-all, end-all of our Christian experience, and these teachings have continued until today. That’s why the Church follows so many wrong man-made doctrine.

     We were unable to recognize the poisonous seeds because they resembled the seeds first sown by Jesus. We did not see what grew from the seeds; we ignored the blackness of the seeds which was a poison that produced apathy and passivity in the Church. We, as the Body of Christ, did not guard against imposters, but welcomed anyone whom we thought resembled us, without doing our due diligence.

     And now, the Body as a whole, cannot be trusted to recognize the pure wheat from the impure (or degenerate) wheat. Centuries of assimilation and accommodation have produced a crop within the Church that includes lethargy, sickness of soul and spirit, upheaval in the Kingdom on earth, and yes, even death. These conditions are the weeds grown from the seeds of Christ's enemy. And Jesus will come and gather them out of His true Church at the end of this age. He will be the One who separates the wheat from the weeds at His harvest. And I believe the Body of Christ will be shocked at what is revealed amongst them.

     But, I also believe this is the season before the harvest, when the Remnant can rise and boldly declare the full Gospel of the Lord ... He came bringing the government of His Father's Kingdom in Heaven; to show us why we were created -- to rule the earth [as images of our Creator] in the same way He rules Heaven. The first and crucial step is to recognize our unrighteous sin, and receive Christ as our Savior, and pledging to be obedient in all His ways. Then we have the credentials to enter into the Kingdom, where we are to spend the rest of our lives as ambassadors of the Kingdom and continuing Jesus's work to bring the heavenly model of God's Kingdom to earth. Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven is not to just be spoken in reverent prayer, but is to be walked out and lived daily! 

     It is not too difficult to recognize that the wheat is ripening and the harvest is near. And I clearly distinguish the wheat from the weeds. The Good News that Jesus came proclaiming includes both Salvation and Kingdom! In this crucial hour, let us not rest on an incomplete Gospel. Let us bring Salvation to the nations and then encourage them to enter the Kingdom, where we might yet save more wheat from being destroyed by the weeds. I praise my Lord for calling my attention to His Word and revealing His truth where I have missed it. Let me be one of the righteous that shine like the sun in my Father's kingdom! Let me be an instrument to grow His harvest! Let's no longer tolerate the destruction that comes with the weeds!

Acts 20:29-30      I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them.