The generous enemies of God
First posted: August 15, 2004
If you have been reading our recent articles, you will have noticed that we have been studying on what the Lord says about the coming spiritual Revival through Isaiah chapters 31 and 32. This article deals with spiritual enemies that are currently unrecognized within the Body of Christ, but which will be ferreted out as the Revival rolls in. These enemies are "the generous enemies of God".
Index
"Prophet... baad, baad; Pastor ... goood, goood"
The prophecy
In Isaiah 32, the Lord declares the following:
"5The vile person shall be no more called liberal, nor the churl said to be bountiful. 6For the vile person will speak villany, and his heart will work iniquity, to practise hypocrisy, and to utter error against the LORD, to make empty the soul of the hungry, and he will cause the drink of the thirsty to fail." (Isaiah 32:5-6)
This passage is somewhat difficult to understand unless we correctly "retranslate" a few of the words in it:
As we apply all of these retranslations, the passage in Isaiah 32:5-6 becomes the following:
"5The fading-fool shall no longer be called voluntarily-generous, nor the withholder said to be independent. 6For the fading-fool will declare fading-foolishness, and his heart will fashion iniquity, to fashion defilement, and to declare straying against the LORD, to make empty the soul of the hungry, and he will cause the drink of the thirsty to be lacking." (Isaiah 32:5-6, retranslated)
The Lord, therefore, is declaring in verse 5 that the fading-fool shall no longer be called "generous", implying that, currently, such people are being called "generous". This means that these "fading-fools" seem to the natural mind as "generous" and "liberal" people, when, in fact, they are not so in the eyes of God. But who are these "fading-fools"? How do they operate? Why have they been inside the Church for so long? To answer these questions, we first have to consider other references to these "fools" in Scripture.
Exactly who are these fools?
The Hebrew word nabal, which we have translated as "fading-fool", appears 18 times in the Old Testament. The number "18" is tied in Scripture to the prophetic ministry, as can be inferred from the final verse in the book of the prophet Ezekiel:
"It was round about eighteen thousand measures: and the name of the city from that day shall be, The LORD is there" (Ezekiel 48:35)
Notice that the spiritual city that Ezekiel 48 describes had a perimeter of 18,000 measures. Notice also that the book of Ezekiel ends with the name "The LORD is there", which in Hebrew is "Jehovah-Shamah". As we explained in our previous article, the name "Jehovah-Shamah" (one of the 7 Jehovah names of God in Scripture) is related to the prophetic ministry, which points to a connection between the number "18" and the prophetic ministry, implying, therefore, that the number "18" can either point to "true prophets" or to "false prophets". Since nabal appears 18 times, we can then say that these "fading-fools" are what the Scriptures call "false prophets". This is strengthened in the following passage:
"Thus saith the Lord GOD; Woe unto the foolish prophets, that follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing!" (Ezekiel 13:3)
Interestingly enough, the word translated as "foolish" in the verse above is the Hebrew word nabal once again, which, as you can see, is being associated to "prophets".
The connection between "fading-fools" and "false prophets" is also strengthened by Isaiah 32:6, where the Lord declares that these fools are workers of iniquity, which points to Matthew chapter 7, where the Lord first speaks about "false prophets" (Matthew 7:15-20) and then speaks about "workers of iniquity" (Matthew 7:21-23):
"15Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. 16Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? 17Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. 18A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. 19Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. 20Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. 21Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. 22Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity." (Matthew 7:15-23)
Exactly who are these fools, then? They are false prophets, and, as we shared in a previous article, false prophets are very common throughout the Body of Christ, and are well-respected by most "mainstream" Christians. As we shared in that previous article, false prophets promote mental peace and emotional peace with God, but do not see the importance of having "peace of wills" (or "peace of the hearts") with God.
Preachers of temporality
According to our "retranslation" of Isaiah 32:6 shown above, these fools do two things:
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They declare fading-foolishness
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Their hearts fashion iniquity
To understand item number one above, we have to go to a passage in Scripture where the Hebrew word nabal, which we translated as "fading-fool", is used:
"9The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? 10I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings. 11As the partridge sitteth on eggs, and hatcheth them not; so he that getteth riches, and not by right, shall leave them in the midst of his days, and at his end shall be a fool." (Jeremiah 17:9-11)
[The word "fool" at the end of this passage is translated from nabal in Hebrew. Notice also how this passage speaks of "fruits", which corresponds to Matthew 7:18 quoted in the previous section]
According to this passage, a nabal, or "fading-fool", is a person who works to accumulate things and cannot stick around to enjoy them, as a partridge who sits on eggs and doesn't get to see those eggs hatch. This points to another passage in Scripture which speaks of "fools":
"13And one of the company said unto him, Master, speak to my brother, that he divide the inheritance with me. 14And he said unto him, Man, who made me a judge or a divider over you? 15And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth. 16And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: 17And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? 18And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. 19And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. 20But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? 21So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God." (Luke 12:13-21)
This passage implies that a fool is a person who focuses on accumulating earthly things and does not accumulate heavenly things that transcend this life. A fool focuses on building up and enjoying an earthly inheritance and has no notion of the spiritual inheritance that he or she is called to possess. A fool, therefore, is "rich" in a natural sense, but poor in the eyes of God.
When reading the phrase "accumulating earthly things", most believers think of people who are obsessed with having more and more material possessions. Unfortunately, most believers don't seem to realize that the concept of "earthly things" includes "material possessions" but is not limited to it. The phrase "accumulating earthly things" can also refer to people who are focused on living a quiet and comfortable life devoid of sickness, difficulties, and trials, and where one can enjoy the pleasant company of family and friends, grow old in health, and eventually "kick the bucket" and go to a pleasant retirement home they call "Heaven" and continue enjoying a pleasant existence for eternity. Such people do not believe that there is a spiritual inheritance to be won or lost. As long as they know that their ticket into Heaven is secure, all they care about is making their remaining years on Earth as comfortable and enjoyable as possible. They don't believe in paying a price, in pursuing a prophetic purpose that may involve suffering and heartache, in presenting themselves as living sacrifices before Almighty God so that God's eternal purposes may be fulfilled on Earth through their lives. Nabal fools are focused on obtaining physical and emotional blessings that do not transcend into eternal harvest. They are focused on temporary things that pass away, and this is the reason why the Hebrew word nabal is related to the word nabel, which means, "to fade away".
According to Isaiah 32:6, the first thing that fading-fools do is "to declare fading-foolishness". This means, therefore, that fading-fools preach a message that gets others to focus on temporary blessings and satisfactions. They actively promote this message, and even "base" it on passages of Scripture to convince the minds of their hearers into thinking that their message is "Scriptural". Their battle cry is "Jesus doesn't want you to suffer; He paid the price so that you might no longer have to suffer; trust Jesus, and you will enjoy a wonderful, pain-free existence". Even though, these words sound true, they strongly contradict Scripture:
"13Then Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem: 14And here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all that call on thy name. 15But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel: 16For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake." (Acts 9:13-16)
[Notice that God did not offer Paul a life of comfort and pleasure]
"24Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. 25For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. 26For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? 27For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works." (Matthew 16:24-27)
[When Jesus told us to "take up our crosses and follow Him", did He mean that He wanted us to take the cross out for a walk? Weren't crosses designed to torture and kill people? By telling us to take up our crosses and follow Him, He is calling us to suffer and die. Notice that Jesus never ever offered the disciples a life of comfort and pleasure. That was man's invention, not God's.]
When the passage above speaks of "losing one's soul" (v26), most believers associate it with the concept of "hell". Even though this is correct at a literal level, the phrase "to lose one's soul" goes much deeper than that, and refers to the loss of one's spiritual inheritance. Why? Because the next verse speaks of the Father "rewarding every man according to his works". Notice that it does not say, and the Father "will allow into Heaven all those who said the sinner's prayer". Please don't misunderstand me. I believe in the "sinner's prayer" and I know that a person can be born-again and be Heaven-bound through a "simple" but sincere prayer of repentance and surrender to the Lord Jesus Christ. This is why the phrase "lose his own soul" in verse 26 cannot be taken to be referring to going to hell. Otherwise, the next verse would have spoken of a prayer of conversion. Instead, it speaks of "works" and the spiritual rewards based on "works". These "works", obviously, do not refer to "hours of service at your local church" or to acts of "religious piety". These "works" must be works in faith, not works based on flesh-strength, and are works that are the fruits of a heart yielded to God. As you yield your will to Him, these "works" will flow naturally from you, the way that a branch "automatically" produces fruits as long as it stays "properly attached" to the vine. If you decide to do your own will, the sap from the vine will automatically stop flowing through you, and you will no longer produce these "works" which yield an accumulation of eternal reward. Not doing your own will is what the Lord refers to as "denying yourself" in verse 24 above.
Fading-fools use passages of Scripture taken out of their spiritual context to build up a doctrine that is intended to convince the minds of other believers that it is Scripturally demanded by God that you pursue a life of temporary blessings, thereby ignoring that there is a spiritual inheritance that we are called to fight for in the Spirit:
"Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses." (1 Timothy 6:12)
If "eternal life" is automatic when we are born-again, why does Paul tell Timothy to fight the good fight of faith and to lay hold on eternal life? Because, as we have shared in previous articles, "eternal life" does not refer to "going to Heaven" but rather to possessing the spiritual inheritance before us and being made One with God for eternity. It is sad to see how most believers in the Church seem to be unaware of this "eternal life" we are so clearly called to reach for throughout the Scriptures, and this is due to the fact that we have bought into the doctrine preached by fools throughout the Church who focus on temporality, on material and emotional blessings (i.e.- mental and emotional peace) and who ignore God's eternal purposes for us, which can only be reached through a heart that is yielded to Him (i.e.- peace between God's Heart and ours).
"30For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people. 31It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. 32But call to remembrance the former days, in which, after ye were illuminated, ye endured a great fight of afflictions; 33Partly, whilst ye were made a gazingstock both by reproaches and afflictions; and partly, whilst ye became companions of them that were so used. 34For ye had compassion of me in my bonds, and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing in yourselves that ye have in heaven a better and an enduring substance. 35Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward. 36For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. 37For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry. 38Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. 39But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul." (Hebrews 10:30-39)
Fading-fools preach that "judgments" became a thing of the past once we entered "the New Testament era of grace and mercy". Notice, however, that verse 30 above says that "the Lord shall judge His people", referring specifically to believers, not unbelievers. Fading-fools also preach that the God that deserves fear and reverence died with the Old Testament and that the God of the New Testament is like a kind, long-bearded Santa Claus waiting to give away "goodies" to all believers. Notice, however, that verse 31 above says that it is a "fearful thing" to fall into the hands of the living God, and the author of Hebrews is saying this to believers, not to unbelievers!!! Obviously, the Bible declares that our God is a loving and giving God, but His love and His giving never deviates from His truth and purpose. God is interested in having you share in His Eternal Glory, more than in you having a nice house or car. Sharing in His Eternal Glory is more important than all the gold in the world.
Notice also how verses 32 through 37 speak of believers suffering in order to receive an enduring, eternal reward. Notice also who verse 38 speaks of the "just living by faith", which is said in the context of suffering for God's sake; fading-fool preachers, however, take these words out of context and apply them to having faith so that God may bless believers in their business, in their personal relationships, in their physical health, etc. The "gospel" of these fading-fools rotates around man's desires, not God's desires; it rotates around the question, "What can I get from God this time?
Woe be unto you, fading-fool pastors, for your "gospel of blessings" is soon to fade away! God has prophesied that He will bring judgments against you, and free His Church from the grips of your hands! Cursed are those who twist the Gospel to their own likings and interests! And cursed are those who stubbornly follow these men and women, because they prefer their temporary comfort over the truth!
Power-Ranger magicians
According to what we saw at the top of the previous section, "fading-fools" have "hearts that fashion iniquity". What does "fashioning iniquity" mean? What exactly is a "worker of iniquity"? To answer this, we have to go back to Matthew chapter 7:
"21Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. 22Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. 24Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: 25And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. 26And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: 27And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it." (Matthew 7:21-27)
There is a powerful principle that has unfortunately remained "buried" for centuries underneath this passage because of the way it has been translated. In verse 22, the "workers of iniquity" (as the Lord calls them in the next verse) say to the Lord, "in Thy Name we have done many wonderful works". The phrase "done wonderful works" is the translation of two Greek words, poieo, and dynamis; the word poieo means "to put into practice, to execute", while dynamis literally means "power". In other words, the original Greek text in verse 22 says, "in your Name we have put into practice much power".
"Coincidentally", the word "doeth" in "whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them" (verse 24) is also translated from the Greek word poieo, and the word "sayings" comes from the Greek word logos, which literally means "word". Therefore, this verse should really say, "whosoever hears My words and puts them into practice". We can now see how the Lord Jesus was making a contrast between two types of people: those who put into practice (poieo) power (dynamis) versus those who put into practice (poieo) Word (logos). Those who choose to put into practice Word first are workers of righteousness, while those who choose to put into practice power only are workers of iniquity.
Why do pastors have a natural tendency to put into practice dynamis power instead of logos Word? Because, as we have seen before, logos Word implies judgments and spiritual confrontation with the truth; the Word cuts and exposes:
"12For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." (Hebrews 4:12)
[The word "word" at the beginning of this verse is translated from the Greek word logos, and the word "discerner" near the end is translated from the Greek word kritikos, which literally means, "judge"]
As we have seen in previous articles, concepts such as truth, judgment, and justice are "right-handed" concepts, meaning that Logos Word is inherently right-handed, while concepts such as grace, life, and liberty are "left-handed" concepts, meaning that Dynamis Power is inherently left-handed, since the generation of power produces freedom and life. Consider, for example, how a dark city street can "come to life" when it is lit by electrical power; consider also how the people of Israel were freed from their Egyptian captors when God released enough power so as to split the Red Sea in two; consider also how the Lord Jesus was resurrected by God and how His soul was set free from the captivity of Sheol through God's power:
"And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead" (Romans 1:4)
"31He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption. 32This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses." (Acts 2:31-32)
As we have shared before, God writes from right to left, meaning that He focuses on a foundation of right-handed truth and judgment first and then works to release His left-handed power and grace. Just as He writes from right to left, we are called to do the same. God calls us to focus first on releasing His judgment-making (and death-producing) Logos Word, after which we can release His grace-endowing (and life-producing) Dynamis Power. Workers of iniquity, however, don't like the truth and judgment part of God's Gospel and like to skip straight to the dessert. They like to put into practice left-handed power without first setting a foundation of right-handed truth and judgment. When they see a sick person, for example, all they care about is releasing power into the sick person's body so that he or she may be healed, without caring at all if there is a spiritual root of sin or an unseen purpose of God behind that disease.
As we have said before, Jesus' healings were generally preceded by teachings or experiences that confronted sin and iniquity with Logos Word that released judgment into the atmosphere. Jesus' purpose was not to have an Israel free of sick bodies; His purpose was a people free of sin!!! When He saw a disease, He saw a weed with roots, and He would always go after the roots. Once the root was dead through an application of Logos Word that judges and kills, He would release Dynamis Power that would pluck out the weed, root, fruit, and all. Workers of iniquity, on the other hand, are like gardeners who simply cut off the part of the weed that is visible above the surface, leaving the invisible root in the ground. This brings everyone a temporary sense of relief, because the weed is no longer visible, but the weed's roots still remain, leading to the weed manifesting itself at a later time, in the same way or in a different way, and always with more devastating spiritual and earthly consequences.
Workers of iniquity, therefore are like "Power-Ranger magicians". They like to put into practice Dynamis Power and perform magical acts of healings and blessings. This is not to say that their healings, for example, are not "real"; they are physically real, but they are spiritually false because they are not based on truth. "Fading-fools", as we have called them in this article, perform acts of temporary relief at the price of eternal inheritance. When we prefer blessings and power and reject judgment word, we become like the Manhattan natives who sold the island of Manhattan to the Dutch for some US$24 worth of jewelry and insignificant items.
Fading-fools act like magicians. When they see something that is causing another person suffering or difficulties, they like to say, "Now you see it, now you don't". They perform spiritual illusions, deceiving others, and deceiving themselves! This is why the workers of iniquity of Matthew 7:21-23 did not understand what they did wrong!
As I was writing this, the Lord led me to look up the word "fool" in Webster's dictionary. According to Webster, a "fool" is a "person greatly deficient in good judgment". Boy, doesn't that definition ring true now? Fools hate the right-side of judgment and justice and go straight to the left-side of grace and blessings. By the way, Webster's dictionary also defines a "fool" as "a medieval jester", in other words, a clown. To be honest with you, I was feeling a strong desire to call these fools "clowns", and now that I know that brother Noah Webster agrees with me, I will take the liberty to call them clowns throughout the rest of the article.
"Dynoooomite!!"
So far, we have seen the two things that fading-clowns do:
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They declare fading-foolishness ==> They preach and promote temporality
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Their hearts fashion iniquity ==> They act as Power-Ranger magicians
According to our "retranslation" of Isaiah 32:6 shown above, these fools do these two things for two reasons:
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To fashion defilement
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To declare straying against the Lord
[By the way, notice that, according to the original Hebrew text of Isaiah 32:6, the list of things done says "declare" first and "fashion" second, while the list of reasons says "fashion" first and "declare" second. There is a prophetic reason for this.]
What is the meaning of the phrase "to fashion defilement"? To answer this, we have to see what the Scriptures refer to as "defilement":
"The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant." (Isaiah 24:5)
[The word translated as "defiled" here is the Hebrew word chaneph; this word is the verb form of the word choneph, which is the word used in Isaiah 32:6 that the KJV translated as "hypocrisy" but which we have chosen to translate as "defilement"]
Notice that the passage above defines "defilement" as the transgressing of God's Laws and the changing of the ordinance, and the breaking of the everlasting, or eternal, covenant. This means that defilement refers to the changing of God's Laws so that they may adapt to the desires of our hearts instead of God's Heart, thereby breaking the eternal covenant, which means to forsake our desire to be made One with the Only Immortal and Eternal One, i.e.- God:
"13I give thee charge in the sight of God, who quickeneth all things, and before Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession; 14That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ: 15Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; 16Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen. 17Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy" (1 Timothy 6:13-17)
[Some clown out there (and I mean "clown" in the spiritual sense mentioned above) might have read verse 17 and said, "Look, it says that God gives us all things abundantly to enjoy; that proves that I am right and you are wrong; God is a God of blessings and enjoyment". To the clown I would reply, "You must understand the meaning of the phrase 'all things' as is used in Scripture; I urge you to read what we said about this in a previous article. Besides, the word 'enjoy' in verse 17 refers to a joy of spiritual conquest over principalities and powers, as shown by Luke 10:21-22".]
Notice how verse 14 above refers to "keeping the commandment without spot", which could be rephrased as "maintaining the integrity of God's Laws without defiling them by adapting them to our own interests". Notice also how verse 16 emphasizes the importance of not losing the opportunity of being made One with the Only Immortal One, who cannot be approached in our temporary, human nature. In verse 17, the Spirit of God speaks against putting our trust in "uncertain riches", i.e.- in material and emotional blessings that fade away because they are fleeting in nature. Then it speaks about putting our trust in "the living God", which refers to pursuing "eternal life", the opportunity to be made One with Him forever. This is what the "eternal covenant" of Isaiah 24:5 refers to.
When a person decides to change God's Laws to mold them to his own likings and "soulish" interests, he or she becomes like the Aaron of Exodus 32:1-6, who fashioned a golden calf according to the likings of the group he was with, and then proceeded to call it "the gods who brought you out of Egypt" (Exodus 32:4). Aaron did this because he wanted to be popular with the Israelites, and this is why the clowns fashion "gospels" that are more pleasant to the flesh, moved by a Canaanite, people-pleasing spirit. The "clown" wants to please the kids, and he is willing to do and say stupid things so that the kids may have "a good time". Some of you might remember an old TV sitcom from the late 70s and early 80s called "Good Times". In it, there was a funny young man named "J.J." who liked to clown around and every so often would make a funny face and go "Dynoooomite!!", making the audience (and me) laugh. This is OK for a sitcom, but, unfortunately, the Church is full of pastors who do the same thing! They want the people to like them, and, every so often, they go "Dynoooomite!!", releasing Dynamis Power that solves health, financial, and emotional symptoms, without dealing with the spiritual root issues.
The expression "Dynoooomite!!" sure sounded funny when "J.J." said it, but it sure "ain't" funny when believers say it. To God, it is equivalent to "fashioning defilement" and "breaking the eternal covenant", which in turn is equivalent to passing up on the opportunity to be made One with the Most Wonderful and Marvelous Being of all, our Lord and our God. If you have Him, you have all things!
"I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine: he feedeth among the lilies." (Song of Solomon 6:3)
The words above apply to those who seek the eternal covenant. The words below are God's words to clowns and clown-followers:
"I have forsaken mine house, I have left mine heritage; I have given the dearly beloved of my soul into the hand of her enemies." (Jeremiah 12:7)
"15What hath my beloved to do in mine house, seeing she hath wrought lewdness with many, and the holy flesh is passed from thee? when thou doest evil, then thou rejoicest. 16The LORD called thy name, A green olive tree, fair, and of goodly fruit: with the noise of a great tumult he hath kindled fire upon it, and the branches of it are broken. 17For the LORD of hosts, that planted thee, hath pronounced evil against thee, for the evil of the house of Israel and of the house of Judah, which they have done against themselves to provoke me to anger in offering incense unto Baal." (Jeremiah 11:15-17)
["Baal" (which means, "lord") refers to the Amorite spirit that enters into a person's or a congregation's life and establishes its kingship after the person or congregation fashions a golden calf to their liking. Behind every calf there is a Baal.]
"Prophet ... baad, baad; Pastor ... goood, goood"
According to what we saw at the top of the previous section, a second reason why "fading-clowns" do the things they do is to "declare straying against the Lord". What does this mean? To answer this we have to go to a passage in the Old Testament that speaks about "straying" or "erring":
"And I have seen folly in the prophets of Samaria; they prophesied in Baal, and caused my people Israel to err." (Jeremiah 23:13)
The word translated as "err" in the verse above is the Hebrew word taah, which is the verb form of the word towah mentioned before, which is translated as "error" in Isaiah 32:6, but which we have chosen to translate as "straying". Notice how this verse relates "straying" or "erring" to "prophesying in Baal". As we mentioned at the end of the previous section, when believers mold God's laws to their liking (under Canaanite influence), they are fashioning a calf, and behind every calf there is always a Baal spirit. When the Amorite Baal spirit moves in, it will raise up its own prophets who will be moved by Hittite spirits of deceit and purposelessness. These spirits move prophets to say what the people want to hear, leading them astray, away from God's true visions and purposes. Notice how the entire left side of the triangle of evil is then put into place (Amorites, Canaanites, and Hittites).
We can say, therefore, that when Isaiah 32:6 says that the fading-clowns "declare straying against the Lord", it refers to the clowns declaring, or "preaching", word that attacks the true prophetic spirit and promotes a false prophetic ministry that tells people what they want to hear. I have been in Pentecostal congregations where the gift of prophecy is not restrained, but where the pastors preach sermons that attack the true prophetic spirit. They never openly say, "Hate the true prophets", but they subliminally attack the true prophetic spirit by preaching that anyone who says anything contrary to what the authorities are saying is "out of order" and thereby "sinning" against God. They attack people who refuse to "go with the flow" and who separate themselves from their brethren out of indignation for what they and the leadership are doing. They attack those who have powerful visions and dreams and label it as "voodoo Christianity". All of these things are attacks against the true prophetic spirit, since, as we have shared before, the Scriptures show that a true prophet must be willing to defy authority, to go through loneliness and rejection from the rest of the brethren, and to allow his or her emotions to take precedence over his or her natural mind, even if that makes him or her sound crazy.
When these "clowns" start teaching subliminal hatred against the true prophetic spirit, they remind me of a famous comedian named Dana Carvey, who in the early 1990s was famous for his imitation of then U.S. president George H. Bush (Bush 41). One of the things that he liked to do during his imitations was to make simplistic statements in a childlike tone that contrasted a "bad" thing versus a "good" thing. For example, he would say, "Unemployment ... baad, baad, Jobs ... goood, goood", and he would always point with his left hand when saying the word "bad" and point with his right hand when saying the word "good". When pastors "declare straying against the Lord", they are going, "Prophet... baad, baad; Pastor ... goood, goood". Without knowing it, they are not only attacking the prophetic spirit, they are attacking God Himself. This is why God will attack them back before the coming of the latter-day Revival; no Revival can come without the tearing down of the pastoral matriarchy:
"For thus hath the LORD spoken unto me, Like as the lion and the young lion roaring on his prey, when a multitude of shepherds is called forth against him, he will not be afraid of their voice, nor abase himself for the noise of them: so shall the LORD of hosts come down to fight for mount Zion, and for the hill thereof." (Isaiah 31:4)
These spiritual "fading-fools" don't know what they are doing. Mr. T (a brother in Christ) was famous for saying, "I pity the fool". In this case, however, I prefer to say, I "don't pity the fool" who messes with God. These fools have clowned around long enough; God has given them opportunity to repent, but they refuse to listen. Their fate is sealed, and their days shall shortly come to an end.
"9With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness. 10Let favour be shewed to the wicked, yet will he not learn righteousness: in the land of uprightness will he deal unjustly, and will not behold the majesty of the LORD. 11LORD, when thy hand is lifted up, they will not see: but they shall see, and be ashamed for their envy at the people; yea, the fire of thine enemies shall devour them." (Isaiah 26:9-11)
[Based on the Hebrew text, the end of verse 11 should really say, "fire shall consume your enemies"]
Regal clowns
So far, we have seen the two things that fading-clowns do:
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They declare fading-foolishness ==> They preach and promote temporality
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Their hearts fashion iniquity ==> They act as Power-Ranger magicians
And they do these two things for two reasons:
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To fashion defilement ==> They fashion golden calves under Canaanite influence
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To declare straying against the Lord ==> They preach against the true prophetic spirit under Hittite influence
According to our "retranslation" of Isaiah 32:6 shown above, these are the two results or consequences:
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They make empty the soul of the hungry
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They cause the drink of the thirsty to be lacking
This refers to the draining of the apostolic and the prophetic ministry in the Church. The first result points to a mind that is hungry for God's bread, i.e.- His word. The word that fills the minds of the spiritually hungry is word with an apostolic anointing of wisdom and judgment. When the Canaanite spirits move into a congregation (as "defilement is being fashioned"), a deep hatred and bitterness is produced in the congregation against any type of preaching that has a judgment anointing in it. As we have said before, apostolic wisdom is given by God to make judgments, and when judgments are hated, the apostolic anointing disappears, leaving empty those whose minds are hungry for a deeper word.
The second result (causing the drink of the thirsty to be lacking) points to emotions that are thirsty for the river of the Holy Spirit's true prophetic flow. When the Hittite spirits move into a congregation (as "straying is declared against the Lord"), a deep hatred is produced in the congregation against any manifestation of the true prophetic spirit, preventing the true rivers of living water from flowing out of the belly (i.e.- the emotional center) of those who are thirsty for God's prophetic waters (John 7:38). As we mentioned when we studied the Hittites, Hittite spirits of deceit are capable of evoking strong emotions, but those who pursue the truth will be able to "taste" the falsehood of those waters and long after the true overflow of the prophetic spirit over a foundation of truth and judgment.
As the apostolic and prophetic anointing is weakened, the male-ministry anointing of the congregation is weakened, and the pastors slowly become the dominant spiritual figures of the congregation. They become rulers over a helpless flock of sheep that are spiritually dependent on them. This gives them full control, and the ones who have been acting like court jesters suddenly become the kings!
Generous clowns
At the beginning of this article, we saw how Isaiah 32:5 declares that these "fading-fools" or "clowns" have been called "liberal" and "generous". Why has the Church been calling these clowns "generous" all this time? Because they seem to be "looking out" for believers. They have molded the "gospel" to the liking of the people, and constantly release Dynamis Power to relieve the symptoms of suffering people. They protect the flock from those "evil wolves", i.e.- the preachers of judgment, and preach tender and gooey messages of "love", "mercy", and "grace" that make you feel warm and fuzzy all over. This is why believers use adjectives such as "kind", "gentle", and "loving" when referring to them, without realizing that all this gooey love is slowly draining away the prophetic calling from their lives and depriving them of their spiritual destiny and inheritance; all this gooey love has allowed the clowns to become their spiritual lords and kings!
In Isaiah 32:5, however, the Lord prophesies that these so-called "generous" men and women will be exposed for what they are, wolves in "shepherd dog's clothing":
"22And now, behold, I go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befall me there: 23Save that the Holy Ghost witnesseth in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions abide me. 24But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God. 25And now, behold, I know that ye all, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, shall see my face no more. 26Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men. 27For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God. 28Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. 29For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. 30Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. 31Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears. 32And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified. 33I have coveted no man’s silver, or gold, or apparel. 34Yea, ye yourselves know, that these hands have ministered unto my necessities, and to them that were with me. 35I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive." (Acts 20:22-35)
Notice how, in the passage above, the apostle Paul emphasizes a Gospel of suffering and affliction for the sake of the Lord (v23) and how he did not hesitate to tell believers the whole, unadulterated truth, without molding that truth to their liking (v27). He acted as a faithful watchman who was clean of any blood in his hands because he sounded the trumpet every time he saw iniquity or sin and warned of the danger (Ezekiel 33:1-11). In verse 28, Paul emphasizes that the flock belongs to God and not to any man or woman. In verse 29, Paul prophesies how, after the passing away of the Primitive-Church generation, the Body of Christ would fall into a long period of domination by wolves in sheep's clothing, i.e.- Amorite spirits that would dominate through pastors that seem to be "kind" and "generous". In verses 32 and 33, Paul reminds believers of their spiritual inheritance and the importance that it has over any material or emotional blessing. In verses 34 and 35, Paul emphasizes that ministers are placed in the Body of Christ in order to "give to", not to "take from" their brethren. Ministers are called to serve, not to be served (Matthew 20:25-28), and since we are all ministers in Christ (Isaiah 61:6, Revelation 1:6), this applies to all of us. Throughout this entire passage, Paul emphasizes that the Gospel is about giving unto God, not about getting things from God. By promoting a message where believers go to church to get blessings from God and from the "full-time ministers", the pastors have turned the Church from an army of mighty warriors into a hospital of chronic patients, and chronic patients become chronically dependent on their physicians, i.e.- the pastors.
Your day is about over, liberal clowns. You are fools who emphasize temporary blessings that fade away, and, just like the blessings you offer, you yourselves will also fade away, for God is about to raise up a mighty spiritual Church that will shake the nations of the Earth, and He cannot do that while you clowns stand in His way.
"16From the uttermost part of the earth have we heard songs, even glory to the righteous. But I said, My leanness, my leanness, woe unto me! the treacherous dealers have dealt treacherously; yea, the treacherous dealers have dealt very treacherously. 17Fear, and the pit, and the snare, are upon thee, O inhabitant of the earth. 18And it shall come to pass, that he who fleeth from the noise of the fear shall fall into the pit; and he that cometh up out of the midst of the pit shall be taken in the snare: for the windows from on high are open, and the foundations of the earth do shake. 19The earth is utterly broken down, the earth is clean dissolved, the earth is moved exceedingly. 20The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it; and it shall fall, and not rise again. 21And it shall come to pass in that day, that the LORD shall punish the host of the high ones that are on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth. 22And they shall be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and shall be shut up in the prison, and after many days shall they be visited. 23Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the LORD of hosts shall reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before his ancients gloriously." (Isaiah 24:16-23)