God's Super-Apostles provides a concise entry-level overview of the key teachings and practices of the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) movement. This is a key resource in grasping the significance of this global, confusing, and controversial movement.
What if the biggest danger to the church of Jesus Christ is not blatant heresy, the moral failures of church leaders, persecution, the rise of Islam or the loss of our rights? What if the biggest threat is counterfeit gospels within the church, ways of thinking and speaking about the good news that lead to a gradual drift from the truth of Scripture? The gospel is like a three-legged stool. There’s the Gospel Story – the grand narrative of Scripture (Creation, Fall, Redemption, Restoration). Within that overarching framework, we make the Gospel Announcement about Jesus Christ (His perfect life, substitutionary death, resurrection, exaltation). The gospel announcement then births the Gospel Community: God’s church – the embodiment of the gospel, the manifestation of God’s kingdom. A counterfeit gospel is like a colony of termites, eating away at one of the legs of this stool until the whole thing topples over. This book exposes six common counterfeits (Therapeutic, Judgmentless, Moralist, Quietist, Activist, and Churchless) that would get us off track. The goal of Counterfeit Gospels is to so deepen our love for the unchanging gospel of Jesus Christ that we would easily see through the many counterfeits that leave us impoverished. So come, love the gospel, recognize and overcome the counterfeits, and be empowered for ministry!
We are living in a time when many are asking key questions about the true history of the Christian church, the relevance of alternative spiritualities, and the future of mankind. Western society, a civilization that has for centuries been regarded as ‘Christian,’ is increasingly becoming more accepting of anti-Christian spiritual and religious philosophies. One such philosophy is something known as esotericism, or ‘esoteric spirituality.’ Esoteric spirituality is a belief system whereby only an elite or initiated group of people can perceive and understand its true and deepest mysteries. It is a form of thought often associated with the world of the occult. Recent questions being asked by many in the West all reflect an esoteric/occult influence. Some of these questions include: • Did Jesus marry and have children? • Are his bones buried in a tomb on earth? • Is He really God? • Is there a new age/new world order emerging out of the current global chaos? These questions also reveal the readiness – or perhaps, the eagerness - of society to embrace a less ‘dogmatic’ Christianity, and embrace a new, esoteric Christianity. Kingdom of the Antichrist, by Adrian Isaacs, assesses the emergence of esoteric spirituality in light of Biblical prophecy, revealing the link between the current occult revival in the West, and the coming Antichrist. The main focus is to address this overwhelming anti-Christian, occult influence permeating Western society. Over the past few decades, and especially over the past few years, new ‘revelations’ and theories have been promoted which strike at the very foundations of the Christian faith. These theories have been presented in both a fictional and non-fictional manner. Perhaps the best known example of this assault on the Christian faith is the so-called bloodline of Christ theory, which has been largely promoted by bestselling books and blockbuster movies such as The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail, and The Da Vinci Code. While this is one widely known example, it's in fact merely the tip of the iceberg. Many are now being led to believe that the entire Christian faith was founded upon a massive cover-up, that the true history of mankind is not as the Bible presents it, and that mankind will soon welcome a new messiah who will bring about a new age of peace, enlightenment, and global renewal. Each of these concepts is rooted in esoteric and occult thought. Kingdom of Antichrist is a solid, Biblical response to this growing esoteric influence. Isaacs shares his detailed analysis and four key things that are crucial for the reader to understand. First, the reader will come to see that the current esoteric assault on the message and truth of God’s word is by no means a ‘new thing’. Indeed, the roots of esoteric spirituality reach far back to the dateless past, and Satan’s rebellion against the heavenly order established by God. Esoteric and occult spirituality is in fact a satanic substitute for God’s true system of worship. Secondly, the reader will see that esoteric philosophy has been present on the earth from the time of humanities fall in the Garden of Eden right through until the present day. It has surfaced in different forms, and under different names throughout history, serving as a parallel, alternate religious system to the true revelation of God. Ancient occultism and paganism – both foundational to modern esotericism – have often been an integral part of the political systems of the ancient world such as those that were found in Egypt, Babylon, Greece and Rome. In the medieval period, esoteric tendencies could be found in many of the romantic Grail legends that, on the surface, often appeared ‘Christian’. And as the reader will come to appreciate, the Holy Grail is also symbolic of many esoteric beliefs in today’s world. There are also numerous modern esoteric groups and societies with political associations such as the Freemasons that have preserved many of these pagan beliefs and rituals inherited from the ancient world. The third key point the reader will come to understand is the sobering reality that the current emergence of esoteric spirituality in the West is setting the stage for the rise of the Biblical Antichrist. Revelation 17 reveals the astonishing reality of a world-wide religious system known as Babylon the Great that works with the Antichrist in his pursuit of a global, satanic kingdom. This religious system, as indicated by the word Babylon in its name, is rooted in the pagan rituals and beliefs of the ancient world which can be found in the various esoteric and occult theories being promoted throughout the West. In addition to this, some of the unbiblical theories being advanced today concerning Jesus Christ are leading multitudes away from the Biblical gospel, and towards an occult gospel that speaks of a new messiah, the reshaping of Christianity, and the emergence of a new world order. Fourth and finally, the reader will come to see that God is in complete control of time and history, and that He has a definite plan for mankind. Kingdom of Antichrist, which adopts the pre-millennial/pre-tribulation Rapture view of Biblical eschatology, provides an overview of God’s prophetic plan for both the nation of Israel, and the Gentile people of the world. It helps the reader to see that history is not open-ended, and that time is not just randomly progressing, but that God is bringing everything to a grand consummation – the glorious revelation of His Son, Jesus Christ. Kingdom of Antichrist was written with two main groups of people in mind. First, it is concerned with meeting the spiritual needs of those who may now find themselves questioning the traditional Christian message in light of the recent esoteric theories concerning Christ. The book is designed to expose the satanic nature of these theories, pointing readers to the truth of God’s Word. Secondly, the book is designed to educate Christians on the global influence of esoteric/occult spirituality in light of God’s prophetic Word.
Is gospel Christianity dead? Pundits are writing the obituary of historic, orthodox Christianity, but pastor and author J. D. Greear (Gospel, Stop Asking Jesus into Your Heart) believes the postmortems are premature. Jesus promised to build his church. He said that the gates of hell would not prevail against it. The church is not going away. Along with this promise, Jesus gave clear instructions for how the church would prevail. He promised to build it on the rock of the gospel. The most pressing need for Christianity today is not a new strategy. It is not an updated message. It is a return to keeping the gospel above all.
Though most Christians refrain from predicting exactly when our world will end, many believe that when earth's finale does arrive, it will be a catastrophe. They expect that before Christ comes back to reclaim His own, Satan will escape his chains and return to wreak havoc on our planet. Details vary, but the general assumption is the same: things will get much, much worse before they get better. But is this really what the Bible teaches? Leaving aside the theological terms that often confuse and muddle this question, Douglas Wilson instead explains eschatology as the end of the greatest story in the world - the story of humanity. He turns our attention back to the stories and prophecies of Scripture and argues for "hopeful optimism": the belief that God will be true to His promises, that His will shall be done on earth as it is in heaven, and that the peace and good will we sing about at Christmas will one day be a reality here on earth.
Hank Hanegraaff documents the danger of looking for God in all the wrong places and goes behind the scenes into the wildly popular and bizarre world of contemporary revivalism. Hanegraaff masterfully exposes the stark contrast between these deeds of the flesh and a genuine work of the Spirit by contrasting modern "revivals" with the scriptural examples of God's movement among His people.
The concept of the Kingdom of God is one of the most confusing, controversial, and misunderstood notions in the Bible. Some have launched violent revolutions in the name of establishing the Kingdom of God on earth. Some have advocated elaberate schemes of...
Historic heresies didn’t die or fade away. Each generation boasts its own. Even while these counterfeit teachings remain outside the accepted bounds of Christianity, modern-day versions plague churches.So how does a church leader or pastor understand and deal with these age-old controversies when they pop up in the congregation? In this book, Roger Olson describes the curses but also gifts that heresies bring the Church. While heresies can occasionally correct a version of orthodoxy, they are not simple confusions or misunderstandings about impenetrable mysteries of divine revelation. Instead they undermine the faith and are dangerous distortions. The author describes major heresies and how the church dealt with them, the players, and what pastors can do to address these faith issues in order to educate congregations about Jesus, God, and salvation. Also included are questions for individual or group study. Also available - a Leader guide with DVD in which Adam Hamilton hosts on-screen conversations with Roger Olson (9781501806360)