From my book “Babylon must fall!”

https://books.google.co.uk/books/about/Babylon_must_fall.html?id=d3YkDwAAQBAJ

The Church needs to make a paradigm shift BACK TO THE BIBLE, presenting Jesus’ Church in the manner that the Bible says. It was to be a place of worship not entertainment. We need to understand that Jesus’ Church culture will be challenging to all whether they are leaders or general members of the local church.

The Kingdom of God is not a

• Democracy
• Dictatorship
• Republic
• Monarchy
• Feudal Society
• Tribal Society
• Oligarchy

1.   Kingdoms

Israel wanted to be like other nations, just as the Church today wants to be like the world. This is not God’s plan, as a greater godly King a godly Kingdom is to come, which will be structured on godly lines.

We may note that in the British monarchy the King/Queen did not have absolute power, due to the signing of Magna Carta which limited monarchical powers as it then was shared between the King, the Lords and the Church.

The human Monarchical Kingdom had very few legal restraints as the monarch ruled with sovereign power up until the 19^th century. The Kings and Queens would reign until death or abdication. This form of government to rule the people developed from Feudalism, which is “might-is-right”, where the stronger leader would take total power. It was a legal and social system that existed in medieval Europe, in which the people (vassals) gave loyalty and homage to a feudal Over-lord to receive the right to occupy the lord’s land. The lord would protect them in exchange for military service. This also could have developed from Oligarchy or Tribal society which was a small group of people who gather to govern their location for their own purposes. Further development took place as a Republic, a political system developed to govern the people although the people elected their representatives, to exercise power for them, but one step along from that is a Dictatorship which is a governed by an individual, usually by force. The system that has developed in many Christian nations is a democracy. A democracy is the right to form a government based on the voters’ selection. It is a form of government in which power is invested in the people as a whole, usually exercised on their behalf by elected representatives.

2.   The Dark-ages of man’s Theocracy

The Papacy is a corrupt form of theocratic Government which is an insidious canker upon mankind and the Church. Its purpose is to make itself the sole channel to God. It pretends not to be a political power but behind the scene it commits murder and engineers political change. The greatest apostasy it commits is the claim that you cannot be saved unless you are a Catholic. “The Abomination that causes Desolation” for the Christian was the time that they were restricted by the Roman Catholic Church from reading God’s Word under pain of death.

Any church that walks the fine line of getting involved with man’s governments is close to becoming a whore. It takes a lot of wisdom and integrity to maintain a Godly position. All these types of Kingdoms or forms of Governments are corrupted by man’s rebellion against God’s rule.

3.    Calvin Failed Theocracy

The establishment of a theocracy where God is the head is the only answer we can have, but in this situation,  we need our Commander-in-Chief, Jesus to be in control and we need to desire to follow Him. Calvin’s model was another example of man’s effort to produce a theocracy that failed when he was appointed and paid by the City Council, to form cooperation between secular authority and the ecclesiastical authority[1].In his model he divided the church into four levels of organization under the name of Ecclesiastical Ordinances and the ordinances were adopted by the city council, which started a fourteen-year work of construction. It became a dictatorship!

Calvin, in his constitution set in place his thoughts of Church order and functions in the secular sphere. He had called for strict discipline carried out by the Church under the four levels of Pastors, Elders, Deacons and Doctors or Teachers. This structure did not have the authority of God to continue, as the positions set in place in actual fact became the policemen, by enforcing the rules. The missing element in his structure was the desire of the people to want to follow God’s precepts.

Much of Western Church growth is church migration and methodologies following their own patterns, but often lacking the blueprint of God. The Scriptures present patterns for worship and patterns for prayer.  Most germane to our study, patterns can be found, beginning in the Old Testament, for building God’s Kingdom in the earth. The nation of Israel was always moving away from this and the question could be asked today, “Are we also moving away by trying to be like the world?” The answer is certainly, “Yes”

1. The Kingdom of God is a Theocracy

A Theocracy is the Government of God. It is a community governed by God through His ministers (known as “the priesthood of every believer”), under the leading of the Holy Spirit. But this too has been a problem, throughout the history of the Church as many leaders claim divine direction, even when they are going in different directions! Here is an example of this different opinion that reared its head in the early church when, its leaders and prophets were telling Paul to not to go to Jerusalem, while he determinedly insisted upon going.

First Council

Pastor Leo Harris said in his book on page 4, “In Acts, chapter 15, is recorded the first Church council ever held and – let our modern church organisers note – the ONLY church council in the first century! Was it to decide upon a name for this new organisation, to appoint a central executive and a president? Was it to draw up a constitution for these recently-founded churches? No; most decidedly not! This council was held for the sole purpose of discussing a doctrinal matter, discussing it freely, informally, openly and then the apostles and elders returned to their respective spheres of service to labour under God’s guidance and anointing – without a constitution, without an organisation, without a uniform name, without a central executive and without a president or any other head to the fellowship – except CHRIST!”

Rome the First To Organise!

There was no organisation in the Christian church until the great apostasy developed and the church was plunged into the abyss of the Dark Ages. When Christian church and pagan state united under Emperor Constantine, the way was prepared for the rise of that corrupt, idolatrous Gentile religion – Roman Catholicism. It was but the final phase of the great Babylonian succession of world powers, viz., Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, Pagan Rome and Papal Rome. The new dictator, however, was a bishop as well as an emperor. Yes, Rome was the first to organise! Rome was the first to recognise one human head of the church! Rome was the first to show intolerance towards those who differed in doctrine or rebelled against the assumed authority of her hierarchy and the bondage of her centrally controlled organisation! Rome led the way, and how many have followed!

In the Old Testament the Judges were selected by God and not by man. They were not to have a succession or dynastic mantle to follow. The same rule applies today with ministry gifting.

Through the succession of the Popes we have seen abominations committed by certain statements made and held by the Roman church and the Popes themselves. The title Caesar was originally a family name, but it came to mean “one who acts like a dictator”. It was given to Roman emperors, especially from the reign of Augustus to that of Hadrian. This connection to the Roman Empire through Constantine was conferred on the Pope. Supreme Papal Authority Comes from the Law of the Caesars[2]

The body of Christ, the Church,[3] is a group of believers from all different backgrounds with different ideas, but we need to learn God’s way of doing things, while identifying the diversity of interpretations held in different denominations of the Church. The Roman model of church is wrong but people still keep copying this flawed system and so its denominational thinking is flawed too. The problem is that most of the churches are looking for an organisation to run things. The apostasy has developed again in Pentecostal church organization worldwide.

God’s system comes down from the top to the believer. That means Jesus, Holy Spirit, to the five ministry gifts (such as Pastor, Teacher, Evangelist, Prophet and Apostle) and the elders, designated leaders, the deacons, and then to the brethren. That does not mean that God will not talk through any individual member of His church body. The New Testament Church teaching does encourage every believer ministry (Royal Priesthood) in the Church, and also that no one is more important than another.

We find in Luke 7:28 this statement by Jesus, “For I say to you, among those who are born of woman there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist. But he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he. (MKJV)”

One stipulation is that meetings should not be disorderly and unruly. There has to be order or else the devil would have a measure of control, as stated in 1Corianthians 14:40 Let all things be done decently and in order (MKJV).  Then in the ISV, “but everything must be done in a proper and orderly way.”

We must remember what Jesus said when He spoke to the centurion about authority and the chain of command (Matthew 8:5-13).

When we are facing overwhelming difficulties with another person or an organization, it is of paramount importance that we realize that sometimes we are not fighting people who may hold another interpretation of the Bible, but it may in the end be a spiritual power.

In Ephesians 6:12 it states, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the world’s rulers, of the darkness of this age, against spiritual wickedness in high places. (MKJV)”

Sadly, our humanity is flawed; we will not be able to have a true Theocracy on this earth until Christ is here to lead us with His Omnipresence, Omnipotence, Omniscience, Immutability, and Infinity as our God and Leader. Face-to-face contact and relationship is the essence of theocracy. It is this type of relationship that God wanted from the beginning and still wants; He wants us to come to Him in all matters of life.

We cannot have a man or woman as an intermediary to God. We need a personal face-to-face relationship with God through Christ. When we go to God, we can then move out from God to fulfil His plans for us in ways that will astound us.

 

[1] Noll, M. A, Turning Points: 2007,  Page 190

[2]  “…superior papal authority and dominion is derived from the law of the Caesars.” Lucius Ferraris, in “Prompta Bibliotheca Canonica, Juridica, Moralis, Theologica, Ascetica, Polemica, Rubristica, Historica”, Volume V, article on “Papa, Article II”, titled “Concerning the extent of Papal dignity, authority, or dominion and infallibility”, #19, published in Petit-Montrouge (Paris) by J. P. Migne, 1858 edition.

“…the appellation of God had been confirmed by Constantine on the Pope, who being God, cannot be judged by man.” Pope Nicholas I, quoted in History of the Councils, vol. IX, Dist.: 96, Can 7, “Satis Evidentur Decret Gratian Primer Para”, by Labbe and Cossart.

[3] Chant, B, The Church, General Editor Ken Chant Copyright 1992 by Ken Chant Ministries All rights reserved Worldwide