THE 21ST CENTURY EXODUS!
THE 21ST CENTURY EXODUS!
Do you remember the great exodus of the Israelites from Egypt (Exodus 12:31-14:31)? After 400 years of physical bondage, God was ready to birth a nation. And we know that this exodus was a fulfillment of prophecy! Remember, 400 hundred years earlier, Joseph had told the Israelites- when you are leaving Egypt, take my bones with you!
GENESIS 50:24-26
24 And Joseph said unto his brethren, I die: and God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land unto the land which he sware to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.
25 And Joseph took an oath of the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you, and ye shall carry up my bones from hence.
26 So Joseph died, being an hundred and ten years old: and they embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt.
EXODUS 13:19
19 And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him: for he had straitly sworn the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you; and ye shall carry up my bones away hence with you.
19 And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him: for he had straitly sworn the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you; and ye shall carry up my bones away hence with you.
JOSHUA 24:32
32 And the bones of Joseph, which the children of Israel brought up out of Egypt, buried they in Shechem, in a parcel of ground which Jacob bought of the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem for an hundred pieces of silver: and it became the inheritance of the children of Joseph.
Well, the same thing is happening now! Just as the Israelites left their physical bondage in Egypt and made their way to their promised land. So too are modern day faithful believers breaking the chains of our spiritual bondage! We are on our exodus and we are making our way to become the global ‘people of God’ (1 Peter 2:9-10).
A necessary reset of Christianity is underway for the faithful!
If you are not familiar with the tectonic shifts happening in Christianity today, much of what I am about to say may seem far-fetched and implausible! Even impossible! But, if you are already one of us and if you have already had your ‘crossing the Red Sea’ experience, then you will understand exactly what I am describing! And more importantly, you will know that there is NO going back!
Spiritual bondage is worse than physical bondage!
SPIRITUAL BONDAGE
§ What about salvation and final judgment? Doesn’t the New Testament reveal that Paul’s doctrines contradict CHRIST’s? Paul's assurance of salvation doctrine (aka 'once saved, always saved') clearly contradicts Christ's Book of Life judgment (Revelation 20:12-15).
So when you read Christ’s message and you compare it with the Pauline message, if it seems to you as if you are learning about two DIFFERENT faiths, it is because you are!
What confused us, in the past, is that both faiths called themselves Christianity! Well, they may have had the same name but they have been preaching two different messages!
THE PARABLE OF THE WHEAT AND TARES
In order to understand this confusion, think of the message of the Parable of the wheat and tares. To the naked eye, both plants appeared identical. In the same way, Pauline theology appears to be the same as Christ’s theology. But when 'the fruit' appeared (Matthew 13:26), then it became obvious that the field had been contaminated with poisonous plants! We have seen the same thing! Instead of the good fruit of love, social justice and compassion, we have seen injustice, self-righteousness and Christ idolatry.
But guess what? It is harvest time now! Not only are the ‘people of God’ being separated from the ‘people of Paul’, God has also separated the Pauline writings from Christ's word (aka the Apostolic Scriptures)!
The faithful are on an exodus from Pauline Christianity. We are the 21st century exodus!
Consider the research and books written by the faith leaders below. They have documented, with a great deal of precision, the scale of the church crisis problem and the cultural factors associated with it.
§ George Barna
§ Frank Viola
§ David Kinnanan
§ Dave Tomlinson
It is interesting to note that these authors have proposed solutions to this church crisis. But their solutions have not helped! Their solutions have not stopped the rot! Why? None of their solutions acknowledge the elephant in the room!
32 And the bones of Joseph, which the children of Israel brought up out of Egypt, buried they in Shechem, in a parcel of ground which Jacob bought of the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem for an hundred pieces of silver: and it became the inheritance of the children of Joseph.
Well, the same thing is happening now! Just as the Israelites left their physical bondage in Egypt and made their way to their promised land. So too are modern day faithful believers breaking the chains of our spiritual bondage! We are on our exodus and we are making our way to become the global ‘people of God’ (1 Peter 2:9-10).
A necessary reset of Christianity is underway for the faithful!
If you are not familiar with the tectonic shifts happening in Christianity today, much of what I am about to say may seem far-fetched and implausible! Even impossible! But, if you are already one of us and if you have already had your ‘crossing the Red Sea’ experience, then you will understand exactly what I am describing! And more importantly, you will know that there is NO going back!
Spiritual bondage is worse than physical bondage!
SPIRITUAL BONDAGE
From the time of the Council of Nicaea (325 AD) to the mid 20th century, i.e. approximately 1625 years, the ‘people of God’ have been in spiritual bondage to the doctrines of Pauline theology. These doctrines have so dominated the Christian church that our faith has even been described as 'Pauline Christianity'! Imagine that! In fact, if you conduct any research to answer this question- ‘who is the founder of Christianity’, guess what? Paul, aka Saul of Tarsus, has been given that honour!
You know that this is true! When your pastors preach, don’t most of them choose a Pauline passage as the basis for their sermon? As you sit in the pews, Sunday after Sunday, isn't this what you have been hearing?
§ ‘and Paul says in Romans...’
§ ‘and Paul says in first Corinthians...’
§ ‘and Paul says in Ephesians...’
Hmmm! Unfortunately, the church is in spiritual bondage to these familiar but false doctrines!
And do you know why can I say with certainty that the history of the church has been a history of spiritual bondage? For one simple reason! Even though the Pauline message contradicted Christ’s message in so many important ways, somehow we weren't able to free ourselves of it until recently! Some of these contradictions have been theological and some of these contradictions have impacted the way in which we live our daily lives.
You know that this is true! When your pastors preach, don’t most of them choose a Pauline passage as the basis for their sermon? As you sit in the pews, Sunday after Sunday, isn't this what you have been hearing?
§ ‘and Paul says in Romans...’
§ ‘and Paul says in first Corinthians...’
§ ‘and Paul says in Ephesians...’
Hmmm! Unfortunately, the church is in spiritual bondage to these familiar but false doctrines!
And do you know why can I say with certainty that the history of the church has been a history of spiritual bondage? For one simple reason! Even though the Pauline message contradicted Christ’s message in so many important ways, somehow we weren't able to free ourselves of it until recently! Some of these contradictions have been theological and some of these contradictions have impacted the way in which we live our daily lives.
Consider the following questions.
§ Did CHRIST ever say that women had no role to play in the church? Or was it Paul?
§ Did CHRIST ever say anything about the LGBTQ community? Or was it Paul?
§ Did CHRIST ever express any racist or anti-semitic doctrines? Or was it Paul?
§ Whom did CHRIST say that we must worship- Him or God the Father? Or was it Paul who said that every knee must bow to Jesus (Philippians 2:10)? And no, these two divine persons are not co-equal and only one of them is eternal!
§ Did CHRIST ever say that women had no role to play in the church? Or was it Paul?
§ Did CHRIST ever say anything about the LGBTQ community? Or was it Paul?
§ Did CHRIST ever express any racist or anti-semitic doctrines? Or was it Paul?
§ Whom did CHRIST say that we must worship- Him or God the Father? Or was it Paul who said that every knee must bow to Jesus (Philippians 2:10)? And no, these two divine persons are not co-equal and only one of them is eternal!
§ What about salvation and final judgment? Doesn’t the New Testament reveal that Paul’s doctrines contradict CHRIST’s? Paul's assurance of salvation doctrine (aka 'once saved, always saved') clearly contradicts Christ's Book of Life judgment (Revelation 20:12-15).
So when you read Christ’s message and you compare it with the Pauline message, if it seems to you as if you are learning about two DIFFERENT faiths, it is because you are!
What confused us, in the past, is that both faiths called themselves Christianity! Well, they may have had the same name but they have been preaching two different messages!
THE PARABLE OF THE WHEAT AND TARES
In order to understand this confusion, think of the message of the Parable of the wheat and tares. To the naked eye, both plants appeared identical. In the same way, Pauline theology appears to be the same as Christ’s theology. But when 'the fruit' appeared (Matthew 13:26), then it became obvious that the field had been contaminated with poisonous plants! We have seen the same thing! Instead of the good fruit of love, social justice and compassion, we have seen injustice, self-righteousness and Christ idolatry.
And just like in this parable, God allowed Paul’s message (i.e. the tares) to grow with Christ’s message (i.e. the wheat) until harvest time.
But guess what? It is harvest time now! Not only are the ‘people of God’ being separated from the ‘people of Paul’, God has also separated the Pauline writings from Christ's word (aka the Apostolic Scriptures)!
The faithful are on an exodus from Pauline Christianity. We are the 21st century exodus!
A CHURCH IN CRISIS
Consider what has been taking place in the church over the past thirty years. Some may describe the modern church as being in crisis because people are exiting it in droves. But this would be an inaccurate and incomplete description. Observers who do this have missed the point! Have you ever heard of:
- The churchless
- The post-evangelicals
- The progressive Christians
- The deconstructionists
- The house church movement.
Consider the research and books written by the faith leaders below. They have documented, with a great deal of precision, the scale of the church crisis problem and the cultural factors associated with it.
§ George Barna
§ Frank Viola
§ David Kinnanan
§ Dave Tomlinson
It is interesting to note that these authors have proposed solutions to this church crisis. But their solutions have not helped! Their solutions have not stopped the rot! Why? None of their solutions acknowledge the elephant in the room!
The exodus of believers from the church is the FRUIT of centuries of adherence to flawed and false Pauline theology!
And did you know that Christ prophesied these events?
CHRIST'S PROPHECIES
The experts never tell you that there is a prophetic and an eschatological component to this crisis in the church!
CHRIST'S PROPHECIES
The experts never tell you that there is a prophetic and an eschatological component to this crisis in the church!
Consider the following verses.
1. Matthew 7:15 (‘Beware of false prophets’; these are people whose message conflicts with Christ’s message)
2. Matthew 7: 24-27 (‘whoever heareth these sayings of mine and doeth them’ will not fall)
3. Matthew 12:25 (every ‘house divided against itself shall not stand:’; the unresolved conflicts between Christ’s message and the Pauline message are destroying the church)
4. Matthew 24:12 (the ‘love of many’ is waxing cold; the church has abandoned its commitment to compassion and social justice)
5. Matthew 24:14 (the ‘gospel of the kingdom’ is Christ’s core message, not Paul’s)
6. John 5:43 (if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive’; we have preferred Paul’s gospel of easy grace to Christ’s gospel of judgment and accountability)
7. Revelation 2:2 (‘and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not’; remember, an apostle is just like an ambassador representing a government- their message cannot conflict with their leader’s message! But Paul’s gospel conflicts with Christ’s gospel)
8. Revelation 12:17 (the ‘remnant of her seed’ are the small group of faithful who remain faithful to Christ’s gospel, not Paul’s)
9. Revelation 14:6 (the ‘midst of heaven’ is the part of space that carries the internet signals; we are shifting to a digital church)
10. Revelation 14:12 (remaining faithful to Christ’s gospel)
Therefore, this crisis in the modern church is actually a foretaste of the final battle between good and evil. If you haven’t realised it yet, your current spiritual beliefs are forcing you to choose a side! Remember, Christ warned us that you are either with Him or against Him! And if you are on Christ’s side, then you are on His Father’s side.
We all have to choose a side!
THE APOSTOLIC SCRIPTURES!
So what is the solution? For those of us who have exited, we embrace the Old Testament and Christ’s true message! There is passion and purpose and healing in these Scriptures!
1. Matthew 7:15 (‘Beware of false prophets’; these are people whose message conflicts with Christ’s message)
2. Matthew 7: 24-27 (‘whoever heareth these sayings of mine and doeth them’ will not fall)
3. Matthew 12:25 (every ‘house divided against itself shall not stand:’; the unresolved conflicts between Christ’s message and the Pauline message are destroying the church)
4. Matthew 24:12 (the ‘love of many’ is waxing cold; the church has abandoned its commitment to compassion and social justice)
5. Matthew 24:14 (the ‘gospel of the kingdom’ is Christ’s core message, not Paul’s)
6. John 5:43 (if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive’; we have preferred Paul’s gospel of easy grace to Christ’s gospel of judgment and accountability)
7. Revelation 2:2 (‘and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not’; remember, an apostle is just like an ambassador representing a government- their message cannot conflict with their leader’s message! But Paul’s gospel conflicts with Christ’s gospel)
8. Revelation 12:17 (the ‘remnant of her seed’ are the small group of faithful who remain faithful to Christ’s gospel, not Paul’s)
9. Revelation 14:6 (the ‘midst of heaven’ is the part of space that carries the internet signals; we are shifting to a digital church)
10. Revelation 14:12 (remaining faithful to Christ’s gospel)
Therefore, this crisis in the modern church is actually a foretaste of the final battle between good and evil. If you haven’t realised it yet, your current spiritual beliefs are forcing you to choose a side! Remember, Christ warned us that you are either with Him or against Him! And if you are on Christ’s side, then you are on His Father’s side.
We all have to choose a side!
THE APOSTOLIC SCRIPTURES!
So what is the solution? For those of us who have exited, we embrace the Old Testament and Christ’s true message! There is passion and purpose and healing in these Scriptures!
The Apostolic Scriptures are Christ's true message and they are the ten Books of the New Testament that were written by five of Christ’s Apostles:
§ The Gospel of Matthew
§ The Gospel of John
§ The Epistle of James
§ The First Epistle of Peter
§ The Second Epistle of Peter
§ The First Epistle of John
§ The Second Epistle of John
§ The Third Epistle of John
§ The Epistle of Jude
§ The Revelation of Jesus Christ
Leaving the Pauline church is a necessary step for our spiritual development and all true ‘people of God’ (1 Peter 2:9-10) will eventually have to make this choice!
So I hope that when you leave, when you join the exodus from the Pauline church, you do it to become an ‘agent of change’!
§ The Gospel of Matthew
§ The Gospel of John
§ The Epistle of James
§ The First Epistle of Peter
§ The Second Epistle of Peter
§ The First Epistle of John
§ The Second Epistle of John
§ The Third Epistle of John
§ The Epistle of Jude
§ The Revelation of Jesus Christ
Leaving the Pauline church is a necessary step for our spiritual development and all true ‘people of God’ (1 Peter 2:9-10) will eventually have to make this choice!
So I hope that when you leave, when you join the exodus from the Pauline church, you do it to become an ‘agent of change’!
Remember that Christ started with just 12! Our mission statement is Matthew 6:33 (KJV, emphasis mine):
33 But seek ye first the KINGDOM OF GOD, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
The kingdom of God is what the people of God build as a testimony of our love and worship of God the Father and our love for our neighbour (Matthew 6:10 and 25:31-46).
33 But seek ye first the KINGDOM OF GOD, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
The kingdom of God is what the people of God build as a testimony of our love and worship of God the Father and our love for our neighbour (Matthew 6:10 and 25:31-46).
*****
‘HARVEST TIME Prophecies’ is the blog post site of TNG Academy. Our blog post site gets its name from Matthew 13:30- the separation of wheat and tares that occurs at harvest time (i.e. the endtimes). Remember, the ‘wheat’ symbolises the things of God and the ‘tares’ symbolise the things of the devil.
The purpose of this blog is threefold.
1. Some of the posts are written to help the reader develop a deeper understanding of the theology of Christ’s core message- i.e. the ‘gospel of the kingdom’.
2. Some of the posts are written for the reader’s personal discipleship journey. We need to understand what God expects from us. After all, all believers should be on a journey of ‘becoming’ our best selves, capable of impacting and changing the world!
3. Finally, some of the posts are written to answer this question:
What would our faith look like today IF we had fully embraced Christ’s doctrines, as recorded by His Apostles, and rejected the doctrines of Paul and the other false apostles?
If we are sincere about our desire to restore Christianity to its roots, i.e. a return to Christ’s original message, then we must start by admitting that ‘while men slept’ (Matthew 13:25) the enemy planted false teachings (tares) into the New Testament!
Visit our website- WWW.TNGACADEMY.ORG, to see our Bible study books. Which books would I recommend for you to read first? Start with these three-
- WHAT IS THE KINGDOM OF GOD?
- MENE MENE TEKEL UPHARSIN!
- THE APOSTOLIC SCRIPTURES.
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