Not Knowing the Scriptures nor the Power of God
How sure is a man in his knowledge! “I know; therefore I am!” It’s been this way ever since Adam and Eve ate from the forbidden Tree. The only way out of this state comes by faith and obedience, which allow men access to the Tree of Life and to become as He is in this world. Then it’s, “I am, therefore I know!”
Victor responded to a letter from Beryl:
Hi Beryl,
We hadn’t heard of Bruce Robida or seen his website till now. Some brief remarks:
While he certainly lists false teachers (all those listed are false) he has much false doctrine. Plainly, he is of nominal Christendom. Nominal orthodox Christendom is the harlot, Mystery Babylon the Great, which is essentially false religious doctrine and men’s works mixed with truth. The cup Mystery holds in her hand is a mixture of truth and falsehood, with which she has deceived and made drunk the nations. This has cost the blood of all saints and martyrs since Abel (Revelation 17:2-6).
I clicked on What Is Kingdom Now Teaching?, which Bruce posted from Got Questions, whom we also list as false teachers (Judgment of GotQuestions.org).
There we find atrocious error critiquing the “Kingdom Now” doctrine (which is also a mixture of truth and error), condemning others for preaching some truth. Let’s consider some of Bruce’s/Got Questions’ points.
They say (disagreeing, it seems), “Among the most controversial tenets of the theology is the belief that secular or non-Christian society will never succeed. Hence, Kingdom Now opposes a separation of church and state.”
Daniel clearly states that men’s kingdoms will fail and be displaced by the Kingdom of God:
“And in the days of these kings, the God of Heaven shall set up a Kingdom which shall never be destroyed. And the Kingdom shall not be left to other peoples, but it shall crush and destroy all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever” (Daniel 2:44 MKJV). Read all of Daniel 2.
Are the people at Got Questions saying men will succeed, that secular governments will eventually get it right? Who then needs the “rapture” they foolishly believe in and preach? Here’s what Jesus says:
“And unless those days should be shortened, no flesh would be saved. But for the elect’s sake, those days shall be shortened” (Matthew 24:22 MKJV).
They say, “Other beliefs include the idea that, as the Body of Christ, we are Christ. In other words, we have His divine nature.”
Of Whose Spirit are we born again? Is it Christ within, the hope of glory, or is it not? Do sons of God grow up in Him, or don’t they? Read Godhood – The Destiny of Those Born of God. Isn’t true Christianity all about having His Divine Nature? This is what sets the true faith apart and makes it so revolutionarily distinct from men’s religions.
Is your hand you? Is your body you? So born-again believers are members of the Body of Christ; we are Him, spirit of His Spirit. We aren’t the Head, to be sure, but we are His Body, one with the Head and at His disposal, a body with which He does as He pleases, it being His, even as you do as you please with your body, which is yours.
What is so difficult to understand here? The same blood that courses through my foot courses through my brain and heart. My heart supplies the head and toe. My hands and feet serve my head and the rest of my body. My head coordinates my body. None of my body can do anything but what my brain and nervous system direct it to do. And when other body parts have a problem, a message is instantly sent to the brain to deal with it, to rally the rest of the body to the aid of that one member… yes, all for one and one for all.
Those of us who believe most certainly are the corporate Christ. Jesus said He and the Father were one. He prayed we would likewise be one with Them (John 17). He was crucified for making Himself equal with the Father and now orthodox Christendom crucifies us for making ourselves equal with Christ, although He said, “As My Father has sent Me, so I send you.”
He also said:
“All authority is given to Me in Heaven and in earth. Therefore go and teach all nations, baptizing them in [My Name], teaching them to observe all things, whatever I commanded you. And, behold, I am with you all the days until the end of the world. Amen” (Matthew 28:18-20 MKJV).
They say that to believe and teach the born-again believer becomes as God is a lie from Satan (“This is a lie from the father of lies, Satan, who first told it in the Garden of Eden when he tempted Eve with ‘you shall be as God’ (Genesis 3:5).”).
Is that so? Here’s what the serpent said:
“And the serpent said to the woman, ‘You shall not surely die, for God knows that in the day you eat of it, then your eyes shall be opened, and you shall be as God, knowing good and evil’” (Genesis 3:4-5 MKJV).
The serpent lied, but he also mixed some truth in with his lie. Here’s what God Himself said:
“And the LORD God said, Behold, the man has become as one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put forth his hand and take also of the Tree of Life, and eat, and live forever, therefore the LORD God sent him out from the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he had been taken” (Genesis 3:22-23 MKJV).
Note, God didn’t say man would like to become as Him, but did become as Him. Nor did He say that the serpent made the man falsely believe he was as God, but that he was as God. God’s words confirm what the serpent said would happen if they ate of the Tree of Knowledge.
Jesus also said, “Therefore be perfect, even as your Father in Heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:48 MKJV).
How is one to attain to equal perfection with the Father without becoming like Him? It is argued that the word “perfect” speaks of maturity, not nature. How shall one come to the maturity of God without a complete nature change (called the “new birth”)? Again, read Godhood – The Destiny of Those Born of God. Also read The Fruits of Maturity in Christ.
They say, “They also don’t believe in the Rapture, which is explained away as a feeling of rapture or excitement when the Lord returns to receive the Kingdom from our hands.”
It certainly is an exciting time when the Lord comes, but it doesn’t involve a physical, miraculous Star Trek teleportation process, a carnal escapist notion those who don’t know or love the Lord dream of.
They write, “Although there are people who believe in some, but not all, of Kingdom Now teachings, they do have in common the ones outlined above, all of which are outside of mainstream Christianity and all of which deny Scripture.”
We certainly don’t believe all the “Kingdom Now” doctrine, but we do believe some of it, which these people don’t receive. We don’t believe God lost control of anything (I’m not sure the “Kingdom Now” people believe that, either; it could be misinterpretations of what they believe), but the serpent did deceive Eve and cause Adam to sin, taking the dominion of earth from him, so in that sense, control of the earth was lost from those God had given oversight. However, all these things were purposed by God, Who always has been in full control of both good and evil, doing all things well according to the counsel of His will. (These people don’t know what they’re talking about.)
The article goes on to display their great mixture and contradiction:
“Everything is proceeding according to His divine plan and purpose and not one molecule is moving on its own accord. ‘For the Lord of Hosts has purposed, and who shall reverse it? And His hand is stretched out, and who shall turn it back?’ (Isaiah 14:27).”
So if this is true (and it certainly is), how is it these same people believe that the lion’s share of mankind will burn in Hell forever and ever? (This expresses the Calvin doctrine of devils.)
When speaking of many forever perishing, are these people talking about the work of the Lion of the tribe of Judah, or the one going about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour? They’re talking about the evil lion. Is it God’s will that those He creates in His image are forever tormented? (These people teach abominable heresies.)
They say, “As for men having ‘the power to believe for and speak into existence things that are not,’ that power belongs to God alone, who doesn’t take kindly to those who would attempt to usurp it from Him.”
Is that true? What did Jesus say about that?
“And Jesus said to them, ‘Because of your unbelief. For truly I say to you, If you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you shall say to this mountain, Move from here to there. And it shall move. And nothing shall be impossible to you‘” (Matthew 17:20 MKJV).
“Truly, truly, I say to you, He who believes on Me, the works that I do he shall do also, and greater works than these he shall do, because I go to My Father” (John 14:12 MKJV). (These people have never known the Lord, the Scriptures, or the power thereof.)
As stated, they mix truth with error. This they say is true, for example:
“The idea that the Church has replaced Israel and that the fulfillment of the prophecies to Israel pertain to the church is known as replacement theology and it is unbiblical. The promises to Israel will be fulfilled in Israel, not in the Church. God’s blessings to Israel are eternal, and they are without recall.”
We heartily agree. God has not forsaken His people forever. How can anyone possibly read Romans chapters 9-11 and still defend “replacement theology”? But men will believe any lie rather than the truth, even if they must mix some truth with it to more easily deceive themselves and others.
They also write:
“Finally, the second coming of Christ will be when He, not men, defeats His enemies and puts all things under His feet. The description of the second coming in Revelation 19 is the description of a mighty warrior who comes to put all things to right, not of one who comes to an earth already cleaned up and ready for Him to rule.”
Amen! Absolutely so!
They conclude with, “Kingdom Now theology is another in a long line false, unbiblical, and misleading philosophies of men whose vain imaginations seek to humanize God and deify man. It is to be avoided.”
Yes, “Kingdom Now” theology has error. However, though it’s true men will never accomplish anything in their own power, these people are wrong on the latter portion of their statement. God has “humanized,” is “humanizing,” and will “humanize” Himself. Jesus Christ comes in the flesh! This is His purpose and way of operating:
“For let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Himself the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men. And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross” (Philippians 2:5-8 MKJV).
“And I heard a great voice out of Heaven saying, ‘Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God’” (Revelation 21:3 MKJV).
As for “deifying” man, God said this:
“And God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the heavens, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over all the creepers creeping on the earth.’ And God created man in His image; in the image of God He created him. He created them male and female” (Genesis 1:26-27 MKJV).
Man can never become God by his own power, but man can become God by God’s power, and this is exactly what God has purposed and has been doing throughout all man’s history. And what has Jesus, the First God-Man, the Firstfruits of them risen from the dead, declared?
“For both He Who sanctifies and they who are sanctified are all of One, for which cause He is not ashamed to call them brothers, saying, ‘I will declare Your Name to My brothers; in the midst of the assembly I will sing praise to You’” (Hebrews 2:11-12 MKJV).
Christ goes on to speak words that wonderfully wrap up our entire answer to properly contend with tares for the faith once delivered to the saints:
“And again, ‘I will put My trust in Him.’ And again, ‘Behold Me and the children whom God has given Me.’ Since then the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He also Himself likewise partook of the same; that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death (that is, the Devil), and deliver those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage” (Hebrews 2:13-15 MKJV).
In those words, we see Jesus Christ, Who is True God, “humanizing” Himself by having to put His trust in the Father, having partaken of the nature and weakness of humanity even unto death. In those words, we also see how He bestows “Godhood,” that is, the nature of God, on those He redeems out of death, calling them God’s children and nothing less than His brethren! Is this not “deifying” man?
John says, “Behold what manner of love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God. Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be. But we know that when He shall be revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope on him purifies himself, even as that One is pure” (1 John 3:1-3 MKJV).
Those we address today have a vain, imaginary, theoretical, philosophical hope, as evident in their doctrines of darkness. The saints of God can glimpse with a measure of accuracy and joy their destiny as sons of the Living God, as brethren of Jesus Christ, Son of God, Whose life was taken because He declared equality with God. He also raised up His body from the dead to prove He was and is God, and has bestowed that same power on His brethren. As He said:
“Truly, truly, I say to you, He who believes on Me, the works that I do he shall do also, and greater works than these he shall do, because I go to My Father” (John 14:12 MKJV).
Granted, we will do nothing in our own power or succeed with presumption. All is under the Head. As Jesus, the Pattern Son and our Lord and Savior, said:
“Then Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, The Son can do nothing of Himself but what He sees the Father do. For whatever things He does, these also the Son does likewise’” (John 5:19 MKJV).
“I can do nothing of My own self. As I hear, I judge, and My judgment is just, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of the Father Who has sent Me” (John 5:30 MKJV).
For those who hate us in His Name, let me give a reminder of these words:
“The one hearing you hears Me, and he who despises you despises Me; he who rejects you also rejects Him who sent Me” (Luke 10:16 MKJV).
“They shall put you out of the synagogue. But an hour is coming that everyone who kills you will think that he bears God service. And they will do these things to you because they have not known the Father nor Me” (John 16:2-3 MKJV).
I share glorious truths with you today. Blessed are those who receive them. Theirs is the Kingdom of God.
Victor Hafichuk