The Clash of the Kingdoms

1. What is Truth?

Then Pilate entered the Praetorium again, called Jesus, and said to Him, “Are You the

King of the Jews?” Jesus answered him, “Are you speaking for yourself about this, or did others tell you this concerning Me?” Pilate

answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered You to me. What have You done?” Jesus answered, “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.” Pilate therefore said to Him, “Are You a king then?” Jesus

answered, “You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears

My voice.” Pilate said to Him, “What is truth?” And when he had said this, he went out again

to the Jews, and said to them, “I find no fault in Him at all. – John 18:33-38

2. We Are in a Kingdom Battle! – Christ is both, Lord and Savior, King and Redeemer. However the scriptures teach that Christ’s Kingdom is not of this world. In fact, Christ’s Kingdom is in opposition to the kingdoms of this world.

– The Kingdom of God is counter-culture to the kingdoms of this world. The world that you and I live in according to Paul’s writing in 2 Corinthians 4:4 is controlled by Satan, who is the god of this world or this world’s philosophy, idioms, and systems. Therefore, this world is based upon a philosophy of knowledge that is against the knowledge of God.

3. Satan is the god of This World – As the god of this world, Satan has an advantage over humanity, based upon the fall of man. Satan prevails over man through the weakness of his sinful DNA that is prone to self-centeredness.

4. Satan Weapons – He uses three weapons to perpetuate sinfulness in the life of humans! Satan uses the same three weapons against humans that he used in the beginning in the Garden of Eden.

– He uses:• The lust of the eyes • Thelustoftheflesh• The pride of life

– You would think since his MO (modus operandi – mode of operation) has not changed that every Christian would now be aware of his strategies. But the Bible says he’s very crafty, very subtle, and very deceptive.

5. Weapons in Use – Satan used these same three weapons against Eve in the garden and the last Adam, Christ, in the wilderness when He fasted 40 days and 40 nights.

– These three weapons are present in the Parable of Preeminence, or the Parable of the Sower, which is considered the primary parable, located in the synoptic gospels.

– He causes the believer to backslide based upon, the cares of this world, deceitfulness of riches, and the desire for other things. They choke the Word out!

6. Satan desires to be Like the Most High God

– TheKingdomofGodisinconflictwiththe kingdoms of this world, which are governed by the god of this world who controlsandinfluencespeopleinthefollowing philosophical positions.

– Heismotivatingandinfluencingatheism, polytheism, agnosticism, secular humanism, relativism, universalism, and spiritualism as well as in the ranks of Christendom.

– Heinfluencesthisworldandthisworld’ssystem through these basic tenets.

7. Satan the Angel of Light – Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. He raises up ministers who promote his cause as angels or ministers of light.

– In 2 Corinthians 11:14, his emissaries or ministers have an agenda to deceive and corrupttruthforfilthylucre.Philippians3:2-3 and Ephesians 4:14 speak of how there are people, or ministers, or those who handle scriptures, who handle them in a very deceitful and crafty way, perverting the truth of the scriptures.

8. Kingdom Citizens Must be Aware of Deceitful Doctrine

– Ephesians 4:14 states that we should no longer be children tossed to and fro and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting.

– We should be aware that there is a spirit on the earth that causes people to plot to deceive people spiritually. Most church folkdon’tunderstandthislevelofconflictand warfare, because they cannot fathom how someone could sit in their home or sit in a meeting place and design your destruction.

– In Philippians 3:2-3, Paul writes to the church of Philippi and talks about the Judaizers; he called them dogs, mutilators ofthefleshandtellsthePhilippianstowatch out for them.

9. The Time is Here! – In 2 Timothy 4:3-4, Paul said the time will come when men would not endure or put up with or remain faithful to sound doctrine.

– In 2 John 7-10, John wrote about people coming into the church with false doctrine in order to deceive the people of God.

– In the midst of the clash of the kingdoms, you and I must understand doctrine that undergirds our worship.

10. The Kingdom Clash – Jesus came teaching and preaching the Kingdom of God in a world in which Satan’s philosophy ruled and he reigned as the god of this world. Thus, every empire, every world power that had and has ever existed outside the Kingdom of God has been ruled and controlled by the hand and theinfluenceofSatan.

– Jesus said, while talking to Pilate, “My Kingdom is not of this world. If My Kingdom were of this world, My servantswouldfight,sothatIshouldnotbe delivered to the Jews; but now My Kingdom is not from here”(John 18:36).

– God appoints all rulers of every kingdom apostolically (Romans 13:1) and He uses them for His own glory – Moses vs. Pharaoh (honor vs. dishonor).

11. The Clash of the Kingdoms – The clash of the kingdoms is corporate; we can call it Kingdom or spiritual warfare, and the effects are experienced in the minds of each believer. So in 2 Corinthians 10:3-5, it says:

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts

itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of

Christ…

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers,

against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the

heavenly places. – Ephesians 6:12

– So believers must:

…be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you

may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. – Ephesians 6:10-11

12. The Darkside: Principalities – There is a ‘real’ dark side, and they are planning in the spirit to deceive as many people as possible. Principalities are in dark places planning the demise of nations and believers much like terrorists who plan in hiding to destroy innocent people, just becauseofevilinfluence.

– It is a plan of retaliation and act of hatred towards God; don’t forget Satan was expelled from heaven and Jesus came

expelling demons out of people. Satan can’t stand the fact that you and I are created in the image of God, and he violently attacks the believer’s mental capacity and understanding of God in a conspicuous manner. That’s the reason Jesus came as the light of the world – to expose the darkness of the ignorance of men due to the bondage of sin.

– Please read chapter one thoroughly so that you can get a foundation for this class!

13. The Church: The Pillar of Truth – The church is designed to be an embassy, the pillar of truth that is governed by theapostolicleadershipofthefive-foldministry gifts. These gifts are responsible for proclaiming the Kingdom of God, for teaching the truth of God, and defending and protecting that truth from the contamination of heretical teachings.

– Pilate asked the greatest question ever asked by man. What is truth? Many people are confused and led astray because they are seekers of truth. They believe that truth will ‘set them free’ to be better men and women, and citizens of the world’s society. But because they are seeking a body of information vs. the Person of Jesus Christ, they are never able to ascertain truth.

– In 2 Timothy 3:7, it says, they are, “always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.” Truth is not rooted in knowledge or research and facts, but truth is a Person. Jesus said, in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” Jesus is truth.

14. The Hook of Satan – Spiritual Warfare• Saints war on three levels: doctrine,

mental disposition, and personal discipline. The enemy is trying to cause youtonotbenefitfromwhatChristhasdone by confusing or blocking your access and understanding of sound Kingdom doctrine.

• If we don’t deal with the disposition of our mind, it will impact our self-control (ability to control our behavior).

Salvation is a gift from God; doctrine teaches us that. However, the battle withthefleshandthefierydartsoftheenemy prompt us to be proactive about establishing a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.

• When we do not understand doctrine, our understanding of salvation will be skewed; we will make efforts to try to save ourselves and prove the worthiness of our human efforts in order to receive acknowledgment and rewards.

• People today believe that they are saved by meritorious acts and not simply by the redemptive acts of Christ.

– One of the Main Lies of Satan• M. Scott Peck in his book, The Road

Less Travelled, refers to this as the culture of rugged individualism. Because of the human tendency for self-achievement (Genesis 3), Satan is very successful in using cults and falsereligionstocontrolandinfluencepeople.

• Cults base salvation upon something other than the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ; thus, they skew people’s understanding of the doctrine of the Kingdom of God, which is predicated upon the righteousness of Christ which has been declared upon the believer.

• Christ says in Matthew 6:33, “But seekfirsttheKingdomofGodandHisrighteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”

• Finally, Romans 14:17 says, “…for the Kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”

• We can’t save ourselves!

15. World Religion and Cults – There was a time when any church that was not a part of mainstream denominationalism, was considered a cult. But now through the maturity of the Body of Christ we understand that Christ works through and outside of denominations.

– But now it is not as easy to label someone a Christian cult based upon their non-

affiliationwiththemainstreamchurch.Thismeans Satan has become even more subtle!

16. What is a Cult? – A cult is a system of religious veneration and devotion directed toward a particular figureorobject;arelativelysmallgroupofpeople having religious beliefs or practices regarded by others as strange or sinister.

– Throughout this book and course, we will beusingtheword“cult”inaveryspecific,precise way; cults of Christianity. Thus, our preferreddefinitionofacultis“agroupof people, which claiming to be Christian, embrace a particular doctrinal system taught by an individual leader, group of leaders, or organization, which (system) denies (either explicitly or implicitly) one or more of the central doctrines of the Christian faith as taught in the 66 books of the Bible.”

– For most Christians, the word “cult” refers to a group that is non-Christian. Phrases such as “Christian cult” or “cultic Christian group” are confusing, because they send mixed signals. Therefore, the expression “Christian cult” is an oxymoron. The expression “cult of Christianity” makes a clear distinction between Christianity and cults, as well as highlights the derivative nature of cults.

17. Dr. Alan Gomes: Unmasking Cults – Dr. Alan writes the following on the origin and meaning of a cult from a Christian perspective:• Our English word “cult” comes from

the Latin word cultus, which is a form of the verb colere, meaning “to worship or give reference to a deity.” Cultus was a general word for worship, regardless of the particular god in question.

• The Vulgate, a Latin translation of the Bible, uses the word in the general sense of worship, regardless of the deity in view. The word is also used in Christian Latin texts that speak of the worship of the one true God.

• A cult is a group that deviates doctrinally from a “parent” or “host” religion; thus, all cults grow out of and

deviate from a previously established religion.

• One individual with unorthodox views does not constitute a cult. An individual with unorthodox theology is a heretic, but he or she must gain a following before we can meaningfully speak of a cult.

• Some cults are quite small, having only a handful of followers, while other cults number into the millions.

• Some cults that have started with very few members have grown into the millions (e.g., Mormonism), while othersthatatonetimehadsignificantfollowings have become all but extinct (e.g., the Shakers).

• A group must hold to a set of religious doctrinal beliefs (e.g., about God, sin, salvation) to qualify as a cult.

• A group that makes no religious statements whatsoever – is not a cult.

18. Christian or Not? – It is important to make a distinction between groups that claim to be Christian and those that make no such profession. For example, one would not consider Islam as a cult of Christianity, because it makes no claim to be Christian. In fact, Muslims are generally anti-Christian. Islam is a world religion that opposes Christianity, but it is not a cult.

– Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormons, however, do qualify as cults of Christianity because they claim to be Christian. Both claim to be the only true Christian group on earth. All belief systems and worldviews that deny the gospel of Jesus Christ are false, and lead men and women away from the true God of the Bible. However, not all false belief systems are wrong in the same way.

– Cults are false in their claim to be true representations of Christianity.

– Non-Christian religions are false in their denial of Christianity.

– The distinction between cults of Christianity and openly non-Christian belief systems is not merely academic. On a practical level, you must approach a

member of a cult differently from a person who is hostile to the very notion of the Christian faith.

19. Central Doctrines of the Faith – The “central doctrines” of the Christian faith are those doctrines that make the Christian faith Christian and not something else.TheChristianfaithisnotflexiblelike potter’s clay that can be molded into whatever we want it to mean. The Christian faithisadefinitesystemofbeliefswithdefinitecontent(Jude3).

– Certain doctrinal beliefs constitute the core of the Christian faith:• The Trinity• The Deity of Christ• Christ’s Bodily Resurrection• The Atoning Work of Christ on the

Cross• Salvation by Grace Through Faith

– Scripture teaches that the beliefs mentioned above are of central importance (e.g., Matthew 28:19, John 8:24, 1 Corinthians 15, Ephesians 2:8-10).

20. Central Doctrines Cannot be Violated! – These doctrines are the essence of the Christian faith and to remove or alter any of them is to make the belief system non-Christian.

– Becausethesecentraldoctrinesdefinethecharacter of Christianity, one cannot be saved and deny them.

– Central doctrines should not be confused with peripheral issues, about which Christians may legitimately disagree.

– Peripheral (i.e. non-essential) doctrines include such issues as the timing of the tribulation, the method of baptism, speaking in tongues and other gifts of the Spirit, or the structure of church government.

1. Atheism – The rejection of belief in the existence of deities.

2. Polytheism – The worship or belief in multiple deities usually assembled into a pantheon of gods and goddesses, along with their own religions and rituals.

3. Agnosticism – The view that the existence or non-existence of any deity is unknown and possibly unknowable.

4. Secular Humanism – A philosophy which embraces human reason, ethics, social justice andphilosophicalnaturalism,whilespecificallyrejecting religious dogma, supernaturalism, pseudoscience or superstition as the basis of morality and decision making.

5. Relativism – The concept that points of view have no absolute truth or validity, having only relative, subjective value according to differences in perception and consideration.

6. Universalism – Religious, theological, and philosophical concepts with universal application or applicability.

7. Spiritualism – A belief system or religion, postulating the belief that spirits of the dead residing in the spirit world have both the ability and the inclination to communicate with the living.

8. Christendom – Refers to the worldwide community of Christians, adherents of Christianity.

9. Principalities – Either a monarchical feudatory or a sovereign state, ruled or reigned over by a monarch with the title of prince or by a monarch with another title within the generic use of the term prince.

10. Cult – A system of religious veneration anddevotiondirectedtowardaparticularfigureor object; a relatively small group of people having religious beliefs or practices regarded by others as strange or sinister.

The Characteristics of Cults

1. Characteristics of Cults – Characteristic #1 - Cults deny at least one central doctrine of the Christian faith.• Denial of even one central doctrine

is enough to make the belief system cultic, however, cults typically deny more than one central doctrine. This is not surprising since one’s interpretation of a particular doctrine affects other doctrines in the system.

• For example, if a group denies that people need salvation from sin, it is alsolikelythatitredefinesChrist’satoning death on the cross accordingly.

• Victor Paul Wierwille, founder of The Way International, wrote a booklet entitledJesusChristisnotGod.Othercults implicitly deny central doctrines. Some cults give the impression of orthodoxy,buthavesoredefinedterminology that the doctrine is orthodox in name only. For example, Mormons speak of their “Heavenly Faith,”asdoChristians,buttheir“Heavenly Faith” is really an exalted man,nottheGodoftheBible

• Some cults explicitly disagree and teach against central doctrines of theChristianfaith.TheJehovah’sWitnesses adamantly deny the doctrine of the Trinity (see their widely circulatedbooklet,ShouldYouBelievein the Trinity?, which argues against the doctrine).

– Characteristic #2 - Some cults add to the revelation of scripture.• They may do this through prophecies or

byaddingnewbookstotheBible.The66booksoftheBiblearetheonlytrulyinspired writings from which one may deriveChristianteaching.Thesebooksmake up the biblical canon, meaning “rule or standard,” against which all doctrines must be measured. The canon is closed, meaning that no additional

books may be added to it. • The faith has been “once for all

entrusted to the saints” (Jude 3). It is clear that a cult is a perversion or distortionofbiblicalChristianity.Therefore, cultic beliefs are a perversion or a distortion of biblical Christianityand/orarejectionofthehistoricalteachingsoftheChristianchurch.

• Thus,Paulwritesin2Corinthians11:13-15, “For such men are false apostles.” Unfortunately, we don’t understand that the kingdoms of this world produce people that are within theso-calledranksofChristianityandmay be sincere, but they are sent to deceive people who do not understand Christiandoctrine

• The kingdom of darkness (this world) produces people who are designed to ensure that you don’t have an effective and successful relationship withJesusChrist.Now,thetextsays,“For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselvesintoapostlesofChrist.And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works” (2 Corinthians11:13-15).

• There are people who masquerade in the cloak of religious garments and vestments, sitting and standing inofficesthattheyoughtnotbein,and because of their titles, their tags, and their organizations, they cause believers to pull down all their defenses and give over to their false doctrine without question. As a result, Satan is able to spread his gospel in all its forms all over his kingdoms.

– Characteristic #3 - Cults tend to claim a new truth that is not biblically based. • They have a biblical truth that nobody

else possesses. You only can get the truth that the cult possesses by being a part of the cult; a new interpretation of

scripture. • Cultmembersbelievethatthey

alone have the key to interpreting themysteriesintheBible.Scripturesare their only source of authority, but interpreted unreasonably and in a way different from traditional or orthodox Christianity.

• Cultstestifythatthehistoricbeliefsandinterpretations of scriptures are based onamisunderstandingoftheBibleorwerepaganinorigin.CultscontendthateverythinginChristendomisoff.

• WhilesomeChristianchurchesareguilty of not engaging in exegetical preaching and teaching, this is not the casewiththemajorityoftheChristianworld. In addition, possessing this new truth or knowledge does not make one saved; however, that is their supposition.

– Characteristic #4 - Cults identify with and use a non-biblical source of authority. • Most cults have some other document

thattheyusetosupplementtheBible,but carries the same level of authority andinfluenceastheHolyscriptures.

– Characteristic #5 - Cults reject orthodox Christianity. • Cultsengageinfrontalattackon

orthodoxChristianity.• Cultsarguethatthechurchhasdeparted

from the true faith without any sound exegeticalposition.Normallywhenwesay the church is departing from the faith, we know the scripture says that eventually the church people will stray.

• Normallywhentheysaythechurchwill stray, they have no biblical basis for this analysis.

– Characteristic #6 - Cults have double talk.• Many cults say one thing publicly,

but internally they believe something different.Oneofthereasonscultsdowell is because cults generally do not identify themselves by their popular name. They prefer such names such as “Latter Day Saints.”

• The literature of many cult systems

isunmarked,sothatitisdifficulttoidentify them because of the similarity of terminology employed in the essence of their teaching. You wouldn’t even know what you were reading unless you knew doctrine.

– Characteristic #7 - Cults have controlling leadership. • In a cult, the leaders control every

aspect of the people’s life. • Hereisthescarypart.Becausethe

Kingdom is built upon apostolic order, cults tend to model governmental order more closely than the church. So there’s a danger here, because the church created a governmental structure apartfromthefive-foldministrygifts(RomanCatholichierarchyvs.Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors, Teachers) then eventually evolvedintoademocratic/board-rungoverned Protestant church vs. an apostolically-governed church.

• This is one of the reasons that some people refer to strong apostolic churches as cults.

– Characteristic #8 - Cults believe in salvation by works.• Cultswillalwaystellyouthereare

things you have to do. I was talking to aJehovah’sWitnessandIjustblatantlyasked this question, “Are you telling me we’re saved by works?” She said yes, “We’re saved by works, for the Biblesaysfaithwithoutworksisdead.”

• NowtheaverageChristian,notunderstanding doctrine, would get caught up in the misinterpretation of scripture, and not know how to reconcile “for by grace you are saved, not through works, lest any man should boast.”TheaverageChristianwouldget kind of confused right there, and findthemselvesgoingtotheKingdomHall. After all, it’s the same, right? KingdomHall–KingdomofGod!

– Characteristic #9 – A lot of cults have false prophecies. • Some cult leaders often make bold

predictions of events that don’t come to pass.

• There was a church in the city that, at one point of time, had all of their members selling all of their possessions and predicted the art of a cultic gathering,whichistheSecondComingofChrist.

• They lost a lot of members. The ones who stayed in the church lost their lives and it became chaotic. When the date came and went, they no longer had homes,jobs,andnothingelse.Somewere totally befuddled as to how they became a part.

– Characteristic #10 - Each cult has what might be called its own belief system, which follows a distinct pattern and allows for obvious differences of personality, but can all be understood in relation to a particular theological structure. • It has been observed that each cultist,

though different as an individual, shares certain psychological traits in common with their fellow members

• For instance, Jehovah’s Witnesses represent those cult systems that put strong emphasis upon eschatology; it is a branch of theology concerned withthefinaleventsinthehistoryofthe world of mankind and prophecy. Therefore, when you see them, they’re always going to teach from extra biblical literature or the book of Revelation or the book of Daniel. Mormons emphasize priestly authority; they have secret rituals and symbols that support this belief.

• ChristianScience,thegnosticcult,ground their experience in metaphysical pantheism and physical healing. Their doctrineequatesGodwiththeforcesand laws of the universe.

– Characteristic #11 - Another commonality of cults is closed-mindedness. • When someone is in a cult, they

normally lock down. They are taught to lock down; the leadership trains them not to listen to other so-called Christianswhoarenotapartoftheircult.

• They may also emphasize ignorance and idiocy of others. They will state that others outside the cult do not study theBible,andmockattheirlifestyleofgoing to church to sing and shout.

– Characteristic #12 - Another common factor is genuine antagonism on a personal level. • They tend to be very antagonistic and

haveastrongdislikefortheChristianmessageaswellastheChristianmessenger.

• Antagonism can take the form of this: having a low regard for the preacher; unfortunately, many of these people usedtositinChristianchurches.Whenyou tell them Jesus, most will say, “Yea, yea yea, I used to be deceived justlikeyou.Goingtochurcheveryweek, I didn’t know anything. In and out. Singing in the choir, giving my tithes and offering, running my kids up here and there and we were going to hell.”

2. Final Instructions – Please read chapter two, Paul at the Areopagus, as it provides a biblical basis for the need to be aware of the beliefs of our times so that we can understand the faith positions of others.

– Understanding at some level what others believe, allows us not to be overly offensive or unnecessarily offensive and provides insights for discussions.

– Please review your notecards and post any questionsyoumayhaveonCoursesites.

1. Victor Paul Wierwille – The founder of The Way International (TWI).

2. Cultist – A member of a religious cult.

3. Jehovah’s Witnesses – A millenarian restorationistChristiancultwithnon-trinitarianbeliefsdistinctfrommainstreamChristianity.

4. Latter-Day Saints–AChristianprimitivistchurch that considers itself to be a restoration of thechurchfoundedbyJesusChrist.

5. Kingdom Hall – A place of worship used by Jehovah’s Witnesses.

6. Eschatology – A part of theology, physics, philosophy, and futurology concerned with what arebelievedtobethefinaleventsofhistory,the ultimate destiny of humanity — commonly referred to as the “end of the world” or “end time.”

7. Mormons – A religious and cultural group related to Mormonism, the principal branch of the Latter-Day Saint movement of Restorationist Christianity,whichbeganwiththevisionsofJosephSmithinupstateNewYorkduringthe1820s.

8. Christian Science – A set of beliefs and practicesbelongingtothemetaphysical–NewThought family of new religious movements.

9. Antagonism – A hostility that results in active resistance, opposition, or contentiousness.

10. Areopagus – Is the “Rock of Ares,” north-west of the Acropolis, which in classical timesfunctionedasthehighCourtofAppealforcriminal and civil cases in Athens.