In
John 18:36 Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my
servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my
kingdom is from another place.” The Reconstructionist is guilty of
allegorizing scripture; this is when you take a literal meaning or a simple
meaning of scripture and transform it into a fable. They also do this with the
book of Revelation. The history of this teaching is best described in a book
titled “Road to Holocaust” by Hal Lindsey:
“By
the time Augustine (A.D.354-425), the famous Bishop of Hippo, Origen’s system
of interpretation dominated the Christian scene. (sic) But it was Augustine who
systematized the allegorically based teachings into a cohesive theology that
would dominate the Church for over a thousand year's.(sic) Even the Reformers
continued to hold most of his views, including his allegorically based,
unrefined eschatology. The Roman Catholic Church, using Origen’s system of
interpretation and Augustine’s theology, soon applied and instituted the teaching
that they were the inheritors of Israel’s promised to Israel and therefore must
take ultimate authority over the political powers of this world. At one point
during the Middle ages, the Church held authority over virtually all the Middle
Ages, the Church held authority over virtually all the rulers of Europe.
History witnesses that this was one of the most oppressive periods of
Christianity, both toward Christians and those outside the Church.” pp 9-10
As many know the Church during this time believed they had divine authority over Scripture; simple man could not understand it. Today the teaching of Reconstructionism is flourishing especially with the onslaught of Reconstructionist books and Newsletters. The most influential book (text book) today for the movement is “The Institutes of Biblical Law” by R.J. Rushdooney published in 1973, 800 pages long. Rushdooney came from a long line of Armenian immigrants and did have a Masters degree from the University of California and later received his Ph.D. He founded the Chalcedon Foundation in 1965 and had a newsletter he published. Rushdooney is now deceased but his books and materials live on. Rushdooney was a student of Cornelius Van Til, a Princeton University Theologian. Van Til was not a Reconstructionist himself but laid some groundwork that was not correct and the Reconstructionist continued from there. Also, John Calvin is popular among their ranks; the Reconstructionists see themselves as the political heirs of Calvin’s doctrine. His doctrine is a model for them politically that was created in Switzerland in the 1500s. Rushdooney also happens to be the man who launched the home school movement. It is important to scan those books as well for Reconstructionist jargon.
As many know the Church during this time believed they had divine authority over Scripture; simple man could not understand it. Today the teaching of Reconstructionism is flourishing especially with the onslaught of Reconstructionist books and Newsletters. The most influential book (text book) today for the movement is “The Institutes of Biblical Law” by R.J. Rushdooney published in 1973, 800 pages long. Rushdooney came from a long line of Armenian immigrants and did have a Masters degree from the University of California and later received his Ph.D. He founded the Chalcedon Foundation in 1965 and had a newsletter he published. Rushdooney is now deceased but his books and materials live on. Rushdooney was a student of Cornelius Van Til, a Princeton University Theologian. Van Til was not a Reconstructionist himself but laid some groundwork that was not correct and the Reconstructionist continued from there. Also, John Calvin is popular among their ranks; the Reconstructionists see themselves as the political heirs of Calvin’s doctrine. His doctrine is a model for them politically that was created in Switzerland in the 1500s. Rushdooney also happens to be the man who launched the home school movement. It is important to scan those books as well for Reconstructionist jargon.
Briefly
the Reconstructionist teaches that it is the Church that must change the
politics of our country and then institute those laws upon man. The law must be
founded on the Mosaic Law; of course that is Old Testament. Sounds refreshing
compared to what we have today; however, then they define their law! That law
would include the death penalty for juvenile delinquents, pagans, and those of
us that believe in the rapture of the church, just to name a few. I had to ask a
question at one of their meetings I attended in the early 1990s: “Where do pre-trib
Christians who believe in the rapture fit in?” The answer was: “They are pagans!”
The
Reconstructionists want a third political party believing the Republican Party (and us the “Christian Right”) has abandoned them, so they want another
party. What they will call it is unknown but it should be labeled the
“Theocratic Party”. Once
the
theocratic political government is in place the faithful Dominionist
Charismatics will carry out their agenda. Ah, the foot soldiers are
already training
the congregants to move forward! These are your Latter Rain
dominionists. They
refer to this as "The Day of the Lord", or "Joel’s Army". These self
proclaimed prophets believe it is the will of God for them to execute
judgment on the
world as well as the Church. They are waiting for that “divine” call
from their
“Unholy” Spirit, which they have confused as the Holy Spirit. In fact
one day I
was driving in Orange County and stopped into the Vineyard Church (at
that time
it was pastored by John Wimber). Anyway, I decided to visit their
bookstore and
these tapes by Jack Deer caught my eye so decided to buy them. On the
way home I
listened to the tapes and the offenses, militant tone and words were
shocking. My
husband and I pulled the car off the road. It was so bad that we wanted
to make
sure we were hearing him right.
The
following is a transcribed version out of a booklet titled “Joel’s Army” by
Discernment Ministries. I highly recommend everyone get a copy. They quote Jack
Deer:
"How
is God going to bring judgment upon His Church and then judgment upon the land
after His Church? He's going to do it with a large and mighty army.
Now what is this army like? He says, first off in verse 3,
well, first of all He said that this army is totally unique.
This army, there's never been one like it, and there never
will be one like it in ages to come… When this army comes, He
says it's large and it's mighty. It's so mighty that there's never been
anything like it before… “Begin the slaughter and begin it in the temple and
begin it with the elders, the leaders of my people.” And they walk through the
land and they start and they begin to slaughter and, you know God has already
started that? He has already started with the biggest names in His household?
He has already started the slaughter… and it is coming now among the Church.
He'll start with the leaders, but He'll move out into the Church. That's why,
when He says in verse 2, “It's a day not of rejoicing and happiness, it's a day
of darkness and gloom. It's a day of clouds and blackness, like dawn spreading
across the mountains.” You really want the Day of the Lord to
come? Woe to you, woe to you who long for the Day of the Lord.
That Day will be darkness, not light." (Jack Deere,
“Joel’s Army,” Vineyard Ministry International, audio cassette, 1990) [Emphases
added]
This
same rhetoric is being played out across this land and other countries as well.
" . . . yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service." - John 16:2
One
of the most horrible offenses of the Reconstructionist teaching is that God is
done with the Jew and has cast away Israel. They believe that the church is now
Israel and the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob have no future. The Bible says differently.
Note
what Jeremiah 31:35-36 says:
“Thus saith the Lord, which giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances
of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, which divideth the sea when
the waves thereof roar; The Lord of hosts is his name: 36 If those ordinances
depart from before me, saith the Lord, then the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation
before me for ever.”
That is pretty clear I think! Israel is a nation
that belongs to the Lord it is His timepiece. God never breaks a promise to
anyone. The Reconstructionist has flooded the church with their twisted
facts that God has abandoned Israel.
·
This
kind
of teaching is called Replacement theology it is anti-Semitic and a
complete
heresy. This teaching is one of the worst offenses of this movement; in
fact,
it is Nazism all over again. Sometimes this teaching is referred to as
Spiritual Israel. Remember, Hitler believed that the Jews had no place;
that God
had abandoned them.
· Gary DeMar; another prominent leader in the Reconstructionist movement, writes in “The Reduction of Christianity”:
“A clear example of Christ’s rule over the nation for His church was the destruction of the Jewish state that persecuted the early church (Matt.24; Luke 21; cf. Acts 6:8-15). In destroying Israel, Christ transferred the blessings of the kingdom from Israel to a new people, the church.”...Some of the other leaders that have developed the spreading of such messages is
“A clear example of Christ’s rule over the nation for His church was the destruction of the Jewish state that persecuted the early church (Matt.24; Luke 21; cf. Acts 6:8-15). In destroying Israel, Christ transferred the blessings of the kingdom from Israel to a new people, the church.”...Some of the other leaders that have developed the spreading of such messages is
·
David
Chilton who wrote “Paradise Restored” -very anti-Semitic.
·
Ray
Sutton: “That You May Prosper”
There
are
many others, but these as well as Rushdooney are prominent. Of course
let's not forget to mention Gary North, the son in law to Rushdooney who
wrote the preface
to David Chilton’s "Days of Vengeance". North has been upfront and
has left his soiled spots across the Church inroads.
The
following is taken from his book titled “The Judeo Christian Tradition”:
“Jesus
came as the final prophet, the very Son of God, to call Israel to final repentance. He
delivered God's final covenant lawsuit against Israel, a final threat of
divorce. The Jews as a covenanted nation refused to listen. Instead, they
killed Jesus – divorce through execution. They submitted their own final
divorce papers to God by killing the Bridegroom. To their shock and horror, the
Bridegroom returned from the dead to issue the final divorce decree to Israel
Jesus issued this divorce decree in private, after His resurrection, but prior
to His ascension. He did this by announcing the annulment of the covenantal
requirement of the mark of circumcision, and the substitution of a new mark,
baptism. "Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain
where Jesus had appointed them. And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but
some doubted. And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, all power is given
unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy
Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you:
and, 10, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen"
(Matthew 28:16-20). From that point on, Israel could not return as a nation to
be God's Bride.”
God is a perfect God
and this is so blasphemous that I cannot even wrap my spirit around it, let
alone my mind!
I
have noted some ministries have tried to expose the Dominionist/
Reconstructionist movement, but cleverly leave out the movement’s heresy on
replacement theology. This leaves the ministries suspect in my book! I
personally know of one such gentleman who told me he agrees that the church is
Israel, but later I saw an article on his website about Dominion theology. At
first I thought, "Oh wow maybe he changed", but then I noticed that he left out the
most important heresy! Sometimes it is good to see what is missing instead of
what is there. I want to end with the Scriptures:
Romans
11:1-2
"I
say then, God has not rejected His people, has He? May it never be! For I too
am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. 2; God has
not rejected His people whom He foreknew…
Romans
11:25 For I do not want you brethren to be uninformed of this mystery-so that you
will not be wise in your own estimation-that a partial hardening has happened
to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in; v 26 and so all
Israel will be saved; just as it is written, The Deliverer will come from Zion,
He will remove ungodliness from Jacob,”v27 This is My covenant with them, When
I take away their sins.” v 28 From the standpoint of the gospel they are
“enemies for your sake, but from the standpoint of God’s choice they are
beloved for the sake of the fathers; v 29 for the gifts and the calling of God
are irrevocable."
Did
you get that? Irrevocable!
- Lantte Roessler
- Lantte Roessler
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