LTRP Note: The following is from Mike Oppenheimer’s 2019 booklet. For those who are trying to understand what terms like “dominionism,” “kingdom now,” “7-mountain mandate,” and more mean and where they came from, this booklet explains them along with the implications of going down those paths. Today, most Christians have a legitimate concern about the declining moral and spiritual condition of our world. Perhaps more than ever before, believers in Jesus Christ need clear direction from the Lord on how we are to live faithfully and pleasing to Him in such a world.

You may print this article or order a copy of it in booklet format to share with others.

“The church becoming a powerful force, taking over the world to establish the kingdom of God on Earth is not the way Jesus spoke it would take place in the last days.”

By Mike Oppenheimer

“To Rule the World”

In the mid-1980s, a British band called Tears for Fears came out with a song titled, “Everybody Wants to Rule the World.” While we can see this take place throughout man’s history, it is not a desire that should be found among believers in Christ. But in what is called Dominionism or Kingdom Now, that is exactly what followers are taught.

Dominionism came into Pentecostalism through certain teachings from the Latter Rain movement of the late 1940s. In a nutshell, Dominionism downplays and in most cases rejects the idea of an apocalyptic end-time tribulation but rather teaches that Christ will return after the church has established God’s kingdom on the earth by Christianizing the world. Dominionists believe this will be accomplished through signs, wonders, and miracles from “the manifest sons of God” who will take control and rule the world.

The main eschatological (end times) model in Dominionism today is “spiritual warfare” prayer used to remove demonic hindrances in the spiritual realm. This proposes that if we demolish the devil’s kingdom and atmosphere over homes, cities, and countries, our world will change. This is the first of several steps for the church to take dominion with this “warfare” prayer that is directed at things, principalities, and powers through declarations and decrees.

What’s more, today’s Latter Rain Dominionists believe a worldwide revival unlike any other in history will soon take place which will propel this kingdom into existence.1 At the National Men’s Shepherds Conference in 1975 in Kansas City, Missouri, Ern Baxter (who accompanied “the prophet” William Branham on many campaigns) expressed this desire to defeat Satan by a new breed of overcomers when he stated:

God’s people are going to start to exercise rule, and they’re going to take dominion over the Power of Satan. They’re going to bring diabolical princes down. . . . As the rod of His strength goes out of Zion, He’ll change legislation. He’ll chase the devil off the face of God’s earth, and God’s people together, doing the will of God, will bring about God’s purposes and God’s reign.2

In his 1966 book Subdue the Earth, Rule the Nations, Latter-Rain leader Franklin Hall said:

The man-child group of the sons of God will be required “to rule all nations with a rod of iron” (Revelation 12:5).3

We hear the teaching that Satan stole the “keys of dominion” when he deceived Adam and Eve; and when Christ gave the “keys of the kingdom” to Peter (Matthew 16:19), Dominionists say it means dominion had been returned to the church. Distorting Genesis 1:28, they teach it is a continued mandate for Christians to control the world and that the government has finally come into the church, promising more power and more anointing to establish the kingdom.

The late church-growth pioneer C. Peter Wagner (d. 2016) stated:

See, the problem is, is that Satan has had too much of his way in our society because he has a government! And the only way to overthrow a government is with a government.4

Wagner speaks of “apostles in the workplace”5 and says:

This gate will be opened when we understand about the church in the workplace, that the church has a government, that it takes a government to overthrow a government, and when we understand this, if we renew our minds, if we embrace this paradigm shift . . . the revival we’ve been praying for is just around the corner.6

Alice Bailey’s Kingdom Now

In order to gain a more clear understanding of Dominionism and Kingdom Now Theology, let’s take a look at some of the teachings of occultist Alice Bailey7 who received channeled messages from a demon she called Djwal Khul. One of those messages was:

This Church will be nurtured into activity by the Christ and His disciples when the outpouring of the Christ principle, the true second Coming, has been accomplished.8

In her book The Externalization of the Hierarchy, Bailey stated:

The church must show a wide tolerance, and teach no revolutionary doctrines or cling to any reactionary ideas. The church as a teaching factor should take the great basic doctrines and (shattering the old forms in which they are expressed and held) show their true and inner spiritual significance. The prime work of the church is to teach, and teach ceaselessly, preserving the outer appearance in order to reach the many who are accustomed to church usages. Teachers must be trained; Bible knowledge must be spread; the sacraments must be mystically interpreted, and the power of the church to heal must be demonstrated.9 (emphasis in original)

The esoteric interpretations of the New Age are used, and the undiscerning church attendee does not notice what is being taught. The goal is “preserving the outer appearance in order to reach the many who are accustomed to church usages.”

Below I have listed a few quotes by Alice Bailey, showing her views on “the kingdom.” These are significant because we hear the same viewpoint in the church by Dominionists:

But Christ founded a kingdom on earth.10

This world is the kingdom of God.11

Christ . . . came to found the kingdom of God on earth. . . . His mission has not failed. The kingdom is now organised upon earth.12

In contrast, when Jesus stood before Pilate, He made it clear His kingdom is not on Earth, “My kingdom is not of this world . . . but now is my kingdom not from hence” (John 18:36). Yet Alice Bailey taught:

It is time that the Church woke up to its true mission, which is to materialise the kingdom of God on earth, today, here and now. The time is past wherein we can emphasise a future and coming kingdom. People are no longer interested in a possible heavenly state or a probable hell. They need to learn that the kingdom is here, and must express itself on earth.13

[Referencing John 3:3] This is the second birth, and from that moment vision comes with increasing power. . . . The Christ is being born today in many a human being, and increasingly will the sons of God appear in their true nature, to take over the guidance of humanity in the New Age.14

The true Church is the kingdom of God on earth.15 [Comment: The true church is not biblical Christianity according to Bailey.]

. . . the long-awaited kingdom of God is simply the appearance of soul-controlled [i.e., demonized] men on earth in everyday life and at all stages of that control.16

. . . the bringing in of the Kingdom of God, the preparation for the coming of the Christ and salvaging of mankind . . .17

Bailey also stated when this “Kingdom of God” is “restored,” it would unify all faiths.”18 Again, in contrast, the Bible speaks of a mystery of iniquity coming to its zenith. “Mystery Babylon” is an amalgamation of all the religious systems of the world. It is a unity of all religions with one exception— real Christianity (i.e., biblical Christianity). In Hebrew, this pseudo-Kingdom of God is called Babel—after the judgment (Genesis 11:1-9) conveying confusion. Alice Bailey’s channeling demon did not speak of the Kingdom which is created by the Creator of the Universe.

Just as Babylon was built for mankind to unite without God and make a name for themselves, so will this end-times Babylon. The Bible has identified Mystery Babylon, which began after the flood when God sabotaged man’s attempt to unify, built around false religion. It will repeat again in the last days.

This is known in the New Age as “The Plan.” There is a difference between God’s plan in prophecy written in the Bible and man’s plan given by “new revelation,” dreams, visions, and interpretations from the perspective of other religious/spiritual teachings.

Bailey’s New Age teachings on the kingdom of God are eerily similar to those of the teachings of Dominionism.

Jesus said when he stood before Pilate, “[I]f my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight” (John 18:36). The early church did not take up the sword but instead laid down their lives. But it wasn’t many centuries later when a misled church that lost its focus desired to take over the world both religiously and politically, trying to bring the kingdom on Earth. The church that was once underground became a legal religion in Rome and eventually merged religion with politics. By doing this, the church forfeited being the church that Christ founded.

7 Mountains

A teaching that has ingrained itself in the church through the New Apostolic movement is called the 7M Mandate, referring to seven mountains identified in culture. In a chapter titled “Apostles in the Workplace” in Peter Wagner’s book The Church in the Workplace, he details the “strategy for war” for marketplace transformation and asks for leaders to “standardize our terminology” for the “7 spheres,” “7 mountains,” or “7 gates” of society that must be transformed (religion, family, education, government, media, arts and entertainment, and business). Wagner says in the book, “These segments of society should be seen as apostolic spheres.”19 The strategy for this takeover of these areas of society has been laid out in a document from the Wagner Leadership Institute titled Invading the Seven Mountains, which states:

[I]f the world is to be won, these are the mountains that mold the culture and the minds of men. Whoever controls these mountains controls the direction of the world and the harvest therein.20

In order to transform cities, regions and nations, we need to capture and rule the 7 mountains that shape each area’s culture.21

We are an association of people brought together for the glory of the Kingdom of God who gives us power to create wealth from the treasures of oil, gas and other resources of the earth to advance the purposes of God in the Earth Realm.22

The strategy of the 7 Mountains Mandate first came by a “revelation” to Loren Cunningham (founder of YWAM) who talks of this privilege along with Bill Bright (founder of Campus Crusade for Christ) who received the same idea (supposedly from God) at the same time. On the Generals International website (the website of Dominionist Cindy Jacobs), it states:

In 1975, Bill Bright, founder of Campus Crusade and Loren Cunningham, founder of Youth With a Mission (YWAM), developed a God-given, world-changing strategy. Their mandate: Bring Godly change to a nation by reaching its seven spheres, or mountains, of societal influence.23

Lance Wallnau, one of the main purveyors of the 7 Mountains teaching, says the kingdom comes gradually and through the efforts of the church taking these mountains and putting them under our control; accordingly, Christians will only reap a great world harvest if the church captures these “mountains” for Christ.

As Gentiles Exercising Control

And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force. (Matthew 11:12)

And the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things: and they derided him. And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God. The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it. And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail. (Luke 16:14-17; emphasis added)

What is highly esteemed? Places of position, power, and control. Jesus addressed this specifically when He stated:

Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: (Matthew 20:25-27)

He then gave Himself as the example.

Many well-known people are involved in promoting this Dominionist strategy such as Jim Garlow and Lou Engle (The Call/The Send). [LT note: In October 2025, Lou Engle was involved with an event in Washington, DC called Communion America.]

Another promoter of the 7 mountains system is Rick Joyner, who says that Lance Wallnau has supernatural strategies for engaging the darkness covering the Earth with the light of the kingdom of Heaven. His series, “The Seven Mountain Strategy” is on CD and in books and video.

Wallnau’s network is advertised on the Elijah List: “Take your place, help your nation fulfill her unfinished assignment. Join the 7M community network [cost is $7.77 a month] and transform your nation.”24

Cindy Jacobs, as a general in C. Peter Wagner’s apostolic/prophetic “army” speaks of herself and others as generals strategizing for the 7 Mountain takeover. Cindy Jacobs says of Isaiah 9:6, “We’re talking about establishing the government of God in the Earth.”25 When you compare such talk with Scripture, there is no mandate given to the body of Christ to form a government and have generals. [LT Note: Paula White (President Trump’s appointed spiritual advisor) is also a leading figure in the 7M movement.]

No Rapture or Tribulation

C. Peter Wagner did not believe in the rapture as can be seen in his radio interview with Terry Gross in speaking about the return of Jesus:

GROSS: What are you expecting? Like, what do you think will happen?

WAGNER: I think the world is going to get better and better, not worse and worse. And I think that. . . .

GROSS: So you don’t believe in the Rapture and the tribulations.

WAGNER: I used to.

GROSS: But now?

WAGNER: But I don’t—I don’t see how it fits now into what God is showing us. . . . no, I don’t believe in that.26

When Wagner says God is showing them, it means by new revelation (which happens to go contrary to what God has shown the true prophets that have written the Scripture).

Wagner has the church ruling over the world without a physical return of Christ. This is why they use spiritual warfare as step one to defeat Satan to capture the 7 mountains.

Johnny Enlow is the founder and former pastor of the 7 Mountain church, Daystar, in Atlanta. In his book, The Seven Mountain Prophecy, Enlow likens the army of the Lord to a “spiritual tsunami” called the “Elijah Revolution” which he says will “sweep through the church and recover that which is good while washing away that which is polluted.”27

Enlow says that “the Father says to the Son”:

Once You have purchased redemption for mankind, You will sit at My right hand. You will have done Your part on Earth “till I make Your enemies Your footstool.” You will remain up here as the Head, and Your body on Earth will crush Your enemies. The last generation will be the “foot” generation and will rule on Earth over Your enemies. Until they do so, You are not going back to rescue, rapture, save, or anything else. Your body, in fact, will not be a beautiful bride until she has accomplished this crushing of Satan.28

Enlow, describing his own interpretation, distorts the Scripture, saying:

This will change as the Elijah Revolution is released upon the nations. Sons and daughters of the King who understand the call to take the seven mountains will rise to the mountaintops.29

Enlow promises that “the Elijah Revolution will change the landscape of society; everyone will have to make at least some kind of adjustment.”30

This is not what the Bible teaches; rather, it says that we are to instruct the people in the teachings of Jesus Christ, not foundations of culture. It is the Gospel that transforms people by the new birth. What these 7 M “prophets” are espousing is not Christianity as taught in Scripture. I see no distinction between their goals and those of New Agers who want to produce what they believe to be a Utopian kingdom on Earth.

To gain a better understanding of how these prophets of culture plan to change the world, we can read the following by John Enlow written in 2015:

I believe that American Pharoah [a race horse] winning speaks prophetically of a place and role that America is about to more fully step into as it relates to world affairs and the world economy . . . I see the 37 years (time since last triple crown) as connecting to Genesis 37 when Joseph is first introduced to us and given the coat of many colors. In my book, The 7 Mountain Mantle: Receiving the Joseph Anointing to Reform Nations, I write much about this chapter telling of the coming Josephs who would arise in every mountain and be instrumental in the reforming of society. It’s also significant that Joseph was 37 years old when the famine started that ultimately impulsed Egypt to an even more lead nation status. Because of the Joseph solutions implemented by Pharaoh, it says that “all nations came to Joseph,” Egypt, and Pharaoh for their own survival (see Genesis 41:57).

I believe that the United States position in world economics is about to be greatly strengthened and that there will also be a corresponding weakening of many other nations’ economic positions—with the United States increasingly being in a place of dictating terms of economic rescue for many nations. Significant economic shakings are coming, but they will end up greatly strengthening the United States’ position in the world and not weakening it.

We will now see a significant acceleration of change in every area of culture, as great shining ones will arise as never before.31

Great shining ones? This sounds more like New Age or secret society rhetoric than anything the Bible describes. What’s more, whatever change is now occurring in America and in the rest of the world is not good.

Societies are becoming more sinful as Jesus Christ is left out of the equation just as the Bible predicted.

Those who believe this church triumphalism are walking into a strong delusion. But they don’t see this as they listen to the new prophets speak of power and authority for them.

Authority Given

The devil has authority and is able to give this authority to whom he pleases. He lifts people up quickly to positions they were not prepared to handle or offers a shortcut. He even tried this ploy on Jesus:

And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine. (Luke 4:6-7)

Contrary to this, God spoke in Psalm 2:6-8:

Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. I will declare the decree: the Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.

The devil offered Jesus the kingdoms of the world at the beginning of His ministry; God the Father had promised this to His Son when He was resurrected which He will commence in the millennium. Dominionists wrongly apply eschatological passages for Israel and the millennium to the church today. The devil’s purpose in offering it to Jesus was to give Him a shortcut, without the Cross; but Jesus refused. God has not given us (the church) the nations; that is promised to His only begotten Son. Jesus is “to rule all nations with a rod of iron” (Revelation 12:5).

How many people throughout history have succumbed to the devil’s temptation for authority to fulfill their own desired goals and aspirations? The devil gives individuals authority to rule over other people. This has been offered to man since the fall in the garden. Satan opposed God’s work by offering man authority and dominion over the Earth by having Eve believe man could be as God. Thousands of years later, he has not changed his overall strategy but has certainly increased the various ways to accomplish it.

Continuing in the Faith/Enduring to the End

After explaining and then showing the disciples an example of a servant (John 13:4-17), Jesus states:

Ye are they which have continued with me in my temptations. And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me; That ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel. (Luke 22:28-30)

In this life, there are many trials for the Christian believer. It is for us to continue in the faith through these trials. The kingdom of God, according to Jesus, is inherited by humility, not by taking things through force. The Scripture says, “When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force, to make him a king, he departed” (John 6:15). We cannot force God’s kingdom to be established on Earth.

The church becoming a powerful force, taking over the world to establish the kingdom of God on Earth is not the way Jesus spoke it would take place in the last days. Dominionists have taken biblical truths and distorted them to reinforce their justification for building the kingdom here now. This idea of a powerful ruling church taking over the world is a spiritual hoax.

Peter writes of what it will be like in the last days. They ask where is the promise of Jesus Christ’s coming (referring to His return to Earth, bringing in the kingdom):

That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour: Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished. (2 Peter 3:2-6)

When we think of mockers, we think of atheists or skeptics scoffing at the creation account, but this is not whom Peter is addressing. These are people familiar with the Scriptures—they believe in creation, they point to the fathers of the faith (patriarchs, saints) who are sleeping, which is the biblical word for the dead resting until the resurrection. They are the church! They lack the patience and perseverance required. They think they will change a world that God already said in His word He would judge; to put it bluntly, they do not believe the Word.

The Last Empire—A Counterfeit

The Lord told Daniel:

Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand. (Daniel 12:10)

And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries: but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits. (Daniel 11:32)

God’s wisdom is crucial for having skill for living in these last days. Our effectiveness in the end is linked to being faithful and having an understanding of what is actually written about the end.

Daniel sealed the vision, and he wrote some of the clearest prophecies about what it will be like when Jesus comes again. Consider the following:

And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise. And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters’ clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay. And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken. And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay. And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. . . . the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter. (Daniel 2:40-45)

We know from Scripture that clay is a symbol of man (God is the potter, and we are the clay), yet Daniel states that it does not mix with iron. The iron is a symbol of strength and authority; this last kingdom made of iron is a counterfeit of Christ’s kingdom; mixed with clay, it has a false authority of man ruling. Speaking of Jesus, Revelation 12:5 says, “And she brought forth a man child [Jesus Christ], who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron.” And in Revelation 19:15, it says, “[H]e shall rule them with a rod of iron.” God the Father has given Christ the God/man to be the ruler of the kingdom (Psalm 2:8).

Daniel is speaking of a fourth kingdom with kings that will rule the earth unlike any other time. Considering the agenda of the globalists, the New Age movement, and Kingdom Now promoters inside the church, it is not that far-fetched to believe there will be some type of inclusion of the church with the governments of the world (Revelation13). Even now, a hybrid spirituality is being formed with the world and its religions.

Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces. (Daniel 7:23)

Why would the fourth kingdom be so different from the others? For the Dragon (Satan) gives him, the beast, “his power, and his seat [throne], and great authority” (Revelation 13:2). He is the last Gentile ruler of the times of the Gentiles; he is called the Beast. At a certain point, his rule will combine spirituality with political might unlike that of any other government or religion in history. During the fourth kingdom’s rule, this leader will proclaim himself to be God and expect to be worshiped (Matthew 24:15). The ten kings of the world will give their allegiance to the beast, and the beast is worshiped (Daniel 7:24; Revelation 17:13,17).

This fourth kingdom is unlike any other; it takes the Ancient of Days to come and break his rule before the saints can possess the kingdom. The saints needed to be rescued; they were not ruling (Daniel 7:25).

I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them; until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom. (Daniel 7:21-22)

And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. (Revelation 13:7)

There is no church government to rule triumphantly now nor will there be in the future prior to Christ coming back. The apostasy described in Scripture fits in perfectly with the “kingdom now” scenario. Can it be that it will be part of this fourth kingdom? Many Kingdom Now advocates believe the church will be given unparalleled power to convert the masses through miracles. Some go so far as to say we will be immune to disease and even death, transformed to immortality before Jesus comes back.

Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us. (Psalm 2:1-3)

Here we have God’s perspective of these leaders united together without the Messiah, willfully resisting His rulership.

While the fourth kingdom constitutes iron mixed with clay, Christ instead will rule His kingdom with a rod of iron (meaning with unbreakable rules, absolutes; and disobedience will bring swift repercussions). Notice that those ruling the earthly kingdom when He comes will be broken like clay vessels. Why? Because they will not set up His kingdom but their own.

Dominion Given to the Saints When Jesus Returns

The Messiah returns and destroys both the last ruler and last kingdom of man. It is the stone cut out of the mountain without hands “which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces” (Daniel 2:34); speaking of the ruler at this time, “he shall be broken without hand” (Daniel 8:25), meaning not by the church or any other human institution.

When the real kingdom comes, Christ is present on earth and we serve Him:

And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him. (Daniel 7:27)

There is no kingdom of God come to Earth without our King Jesus being physically present to rule. The only 7 mountains the Bible speaks of is in Revelation 17:9: “The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.” The description in this passage is about the “harlot” church.

The day of man’s government will come to an end when the God/man comes back as King. The church has never been given a mission to rule over the world and “Christianize it” but to rescue people (in a spiritual sense) out from it. It is done through the Gospel which transforms a person’s heart by a spiritual birth, not by Christianizing the culture that is already in the world system.

It is not God’s plan for the church to take over and implement dominion over this present evil world before He returns. We have too much confidence in ourselves and very little in God’s prophetic plan. We need to see it as it is written. The world is getting worse as man continues in his stubborn rebellion against the Creator and Savior, and no sanctified earthly spiritual government of man will turn it around no matter how good their intentions may be. If one eliminates this crucial understanding of the last days, he will have no defense against the coming deception that is to sweep the Earth and trap its inhabitants for God’s judgments in the Tribulation.

To order copies of Dominionism, Kingdom Now, and What Does the Bible Say? in booklet format, click here.

Endnotes:

1. Read Warren B. Smith’s booklet, False Revival Coming online at: https://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/blog/?p=16760 and also “Dress Rehearsal for a False Revival” at: https://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/blog/?p=20776.
2. Ikenyirimba Udochukwu Marcon, The Final Dispensation (Lulu.com, 2015, quoting from the National Men’s Shepherds Conference in 1975 in Kansas City, Missouri).
3. Franklin Hall, Subdue the Earth, Rule the Nations (Phoenix, AZ: Franklin Hall Ministries, 1966,) p. 57; also watch Mike Oppenheimer’s lecture DVD on William Branham.
4. Transcript of C. Peter Wagner at the Arise Prophetic Conference, Gateway Church San Jose, CA 10/10/2004 (http://www.deceptioninthechurch.com/arise.html). For some further information on Dominionism, see Sandy Simpson’s teaching DVD: http://www.deceptioninthechurch.com/thequestionofdominionDVD.html).
5. Ibid.
6. Ibid.
7. Read Ray Yungen’s booklet, Alice Bailey, the Mother of the New Age Movement and Her Plans to “Revitalize” Christianity online at: https://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/blog/?p=20753.
8. Alice Bailey, The Externalization of the Hierarchy (New York, NY: Lucis Publishing. 1957, Fourth Printing, 1972, Kindle edition), p. 510.
9. Ibid., pp. 510-511.
10. Alice Bailey, From Bethlehem to Calvary (New York, NY: Lucis Publishing, 1937, Eleventh Printing, 2015, Kindle edition), p. 227.
11. Ibid., p. 28.
12. Ibid., p. 281.
13. Ibid., p. 210.
14. Alice Bailey Esoteric Psychology, Vol. I. (New York, NY: Lucis Publishing, 1962, Fourteenth Printing, 2014, Kindle Edition), pp. 291-292.
15. Alice Bailey, From Bethlehem to Calvary, op. cit., p. 273.
16. Alice Bailey, Externalization of the Hierarchy, op. cit., p. 588.
17. Ibid., p. 651.
18. Alice Bailey, Externalization of the Hierarchy, op. cit., p. 573.
19. C. Peter Wagner, The Church in the Workplace (Ventura, CA: Regal Books, 2006), p. 113.
20. Tommi Femrit, Invading the Seven Mountains (Wagner Leadership Institute, 2008, https://web.archive.org/web/20150501093750/http://www.wagnerleadership.org/docs/PY817_Syllabus.pdf), p. 2.
21. Ibid., p. 3.
22. Ibid., p. 10.
23. “The Seven Mountains of Societal Influence”: https://www.generals.org/rpn/the-seven-mountains.
24. https://7mu.com/elijahlist.
25. National School of the Prophets, Mobilizing the Prophetic Office; 7:00 p.m., Thursday, May 11th, 2000, tape #6.
26. Radio interview with Terry Gross, October 3, 2011, “Fresh air” program, https://web.archive.org/web/20111005201128/http://www.npr.org/templates/transcript/transcript.php?storyId=140946482.
27. Johnny Enlow, The Seven Mountain Prophecy (Charisma House. Kindle Edition), Kindle location 386.
28. Ibid, Kindle location, 426.
29. Ibid., Kindle location 1085.
30. Ibid., Kindle location, 312.
31. Johnny Enlow, “Triple Crown Winner American Pharoah? Is This Good or Bad?” (Elijah List, June 18, 2015, http://www.elijahlist.com/words/display_word.html?ID=14839).

To order copies of Dominionism, Kingdom Now, and What Does the Bible Say?, click here.

LTRP Note: The following news story is posted for informational and research purposes.

By Aaron Bandler
Jewish News Syndicate

Those who say that Gazans are “holocaust survivors,” having endured Israel’s defensive war against the Hamas terror organization, are to be “widely condemned,” according to Sara Bloomfield, director of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum.

“Falsely comparing the Holocaust to Israel’s response to Hamas’s terrorist attack is an outrageous weaponization of the genocide of European Jewry by Nazi Germany and its collaborators, who systematically murdered six million Jews,” Bloomfield told JNS. “It’s antisemitic, inaccurate, highly offensive and must be widely condemned.” Click here to continue reading.

(photo credits: from the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, Memorijalni muzej Jasenovac, Copyright: Agency Agreement (No Fees), Source Record ID: Collections: 2002.537.4; used with permission)

Related Information:

Read Things We Couldn’t Say, The Hiding Place, and Trapped in Hitler’s Hell (written by Holocaust survivors, published by LT) for 1st-hand accounts of the Holocaust.

LTRP Note: Lighthouse Trails identified Mariner’s Church, the creators of the “Rooted Pilot Course,” as an “emergent/contemplative” church as far back as 2009. With current teaching pastors such as Christine Caine, Ed Stetzer, and Doug Fields, and with their “Rooted” program, they remain in that category. This letter to the editor from one of our readers is an important warning because of the popularity of Rooted.

Dear Lighthouse Trails Editors:

My church is testing a program called “Rooted Pilot Course.” An examination of the participants’ workbook, Rooted: Connect with God, The Church, Your Purpose, and articles on the Rooted Network’s website shows unbiblical teachings and practices in it. Mariner’s Church in California adapted this program for westerns from a course developed by Pastor Muriithi Wanjau and Mavuno Church in Nairobi, Kenya.

Aesthetically, the workbook is a winner. It is a ‘just right’ size and weight and a pleasure to hold; its print and layout are attractive. Contents include 10 weeks of material for group and individual settings. It teaches basics of the Christian faith using extensive quotations from Scripture. I can see how leaders would be eager to use this material in their churches, but a careful look shows that “Rooted” introduces and emphasizes “contemplative” concepts and practices. Participants are tutored in “7 Rhythms” to practice in community and on an ongoing basis after the course concludes. A “Rooted Covenant” on page 15 is to be signed by participants, giving their agreement to attend all group meetings and keep things shared therein confidential.

Week three is “How Does God Speak to Us?” On page 54 of the workbook, God’s omnipresence is acknowledged, but readers are warned

. . . there is no certainty you are engaging Him. It is possible to have dinner with your spouse, but because you are distracted, never enter into his or her presence. We can do that with God, too.

Prayer as a “conversation” is introduced as the “give and take” of prayer (speaking and listening). “Prayer is not just talking to God, it is giving space for Him to communicate back to us” (pg. 54). Page 55 continues:

Listening to God can be a bit mysterious. . . . By slowing down, emptying our minds, and praying, God can communicate directly to us through thoughts and ideas. (emphasis added)

Further tutoring in prayer techniques states:

To yield means to be quiet after you have spoken to God and to listen for what He might say to you. If you regularly take time to listen, you will begin to hear God’s voice.

Journal use is encouraged to record these thoughts and promptings as “keeping record of what God says to you” (pg. 61). 

Articles on Rooted Network’s website refer to Spiritual Formation, Ignatian exercises, and the use of experiential prayer practices including lectio divina and prayer labyrinths. An article on the site titled “5 Benefits of a Centralized Prayer Experience” states:

[W]e wanted to stretch our Rooted participants through Lectio Divina (pages 108-109 of the Facilitator Guide). We also designed a prayer labyrinth and other experiential elements for the experience. One of our joys has been seeing people grow in comfort with these ancient practices and desire to use them. (source)

There are other pitfalls with Rooted, but an identification of its “contemplative” elements alone shows it should be marked and avoided.

Ori

Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. (Romans 16:17)

For many years, Lighthouse Trails has tried to warn the church about evangelical publishing houses that are releasing countless materials which promote and teach contemplative spirituality (via Spiritual Formation). One of the publishing companies that is at the forefront of this effort to bring the New Age/new spirituality practice of contemplative prayer into the church is InterVarsity Press, which has a particular focus on young evangelicals. In light of this, our concerns only heightened when learning of InterVarsity’s “2030 Calling,” especially when we consider how contemplative spirituality is one of the most robust vehicles that lead young evangelicals into an anti-biblical, anti-moral outlook.

What is Contemplative Prayer?

For those unfamiliar with the term “contemplative prayer,” it is a mystical prayer practice which uses repetition of a word or phrase (or focus on the breath) to enter the “silence,” “stillness,” or so-called “sacred space” in order to, supposedly, hear the voice of God. In fact, contemplative proponents like Beth Moore say you cannot even be close to God without this inner stillness. However, as author and researcher Ray Yungen points out, it is a great deception for Christians to believe this is a safe and legitimate method of communing with God, and nowhere in Scripture are we admonished to do this. In actuality, though one’s intent may be to seek the Lord, practicing something that is virtually identical in method to New Age/eastern meditation practices such as Transcendental Meditation is dangerous and will get the same result as TM practitioners—and that is to reach a spiritually demonic realm. And as Yungen explains, the “fruit” and the roots of contemplative prayer are interspirituality (all paths lead to God) and panentheism (God is in all).

InterVarsity Press—A History of Promoting CP

Lighthouse Trails began tracking the contemplative propensities of InterVarsity Press (IVP) nearly 20 years ago!

In 2006, we examined the connection IVP had developed with the now defunct Conversations Journal (a “Forum for Authentic Transformation”). The Journal, founded by three contemplative advocates (Larry Crabb, Gary Moon, and David Benner) and promoted by many contemplative emergents such as Dallas Willard, John Ortberg, Richard Foster and Catholic mystic Basil Pennington, hoped to “transform” Christian believers into Christian mystics through contemplative prayer.

Also in 2006, we wrote an article that listed some of the books contemplative publishers had recently (at that time) published. InterVarsity’s list contained The Garden of the Soul by Keri Wyatt Kent, Sacred Companions by David Benner, Invitation to Solitude and Silence by Ruth Haley Barton, Meditative Prayer by Richard Foster, and Solitude and Silence by Jan Johnson. These authors are some of the major heavyweights in the contemplative prayer (aka Spiritual Formation) movement, and IVP was right in the middle of this all-out effort to transform the church.

Over the next 14 years, Lighthouse Trails often included InterVarsity Press in articles and reports on contemplative spirituality in the church as IVP consistently continued publishing these materials. Today, Meditative Prayer by Foster and Invitation to Solitude and Silence by Barton are still on IVP’s book list. The following is from our booklet Is Your Church Doing Spiritual Formation? just to give a small snapshot of what contemplative figures in the church today teach:

[In his book] Meditative Prayer, Foster says that the purpose of meditative prayer is to create a “spiritual space” or “inner sanctuary” through “specific meditation exercises” (p.9). Foster references several mystics in the book who can point the way to these exercises: Madame Guyon, Teresa of Avila, Francis de Sales, Henri Nouwen, and Thomas Merton. Foster breaks the contemplative process down into three steps. He says:

“The first step [into meditative prayer] is sometimes called “centering down.” Others have used the term re-collection; that is, a re-collecting of ourselves until we are unified or whole. The idea is to let go of all competing distractions until we are truly centered, until we are truly present where we are.”(p.9)

Foster suggests that practicing visualization methods helps us center down. In the second step of meditation, Foster suggests that mystic Richard Rolle experienced “physical sensations” (p.17) (kundalini) during meditation which perhaps we may or may not experience as well. (p.18) Step three of meditation, Foster says, is that of “listening” to God. Once the meditative exercises have been implemented and the “spiritual ecstasy” is reached, this entered realm is where the voice of God can be heard. (p.23) However, as any New Age meditator knows, this ecstatic state is an altered state of consciousness where everything is supposed to be unified and one with God. Foster acknowledges the interspiritual attribute linked to contemplative prayer when he states: “[Jesus] showed us God’s yearning for the gathering of an all-inclusive community of loving persons.” (p.5) Foster defines more of what he means by “all-inclusive” in his book Streams of Living Water when he says this “all-inclusive community” includes everything from a “Catholic monk” to a “Baptist evangelist.” (p.12)

InterVarsity Press Today

Today, you will find that InterVarsity Press has not just continued on the contemplative publishing path, it has embraced it wholeheartedly to the nth degree. IVP books feature everything from  Enneagrams  to  labyrinths to many forms of meditation practices, and as is the “natural” course for those practicing contemplative prayer, IVP also includes a growing number of books and authors that promote social justice and all that goes with it including Critical Race Theory.

Thus, when we read about IVP’s goal for the year 2030 (“2030 Calling”), knowing that the main target is young evangelicals, we shudder. Here is the description of “2030 Calling”:

Longing for revival, we catalyze movements that call every corner of every campus to follow Jesus [the mystical contemplative “Jesus”] For over 75 years, InterVarsity has worked to establish witnessing communities on almost 700 campuses. But did you know that of the 2,500 US college campuses (with 1,000+ students), more than half have no known campus ministry presence? God has given InterVarsity the 2030 Calling, to reach all 2,500 campuses by the year 2030. To do this, we will start ministries on new campuses, mobilize millions to pray, and partner with other ministries and churches. (source, emphasis added)

The Mystics of Tomorrow

Catholic mystic and panentheist Richard Rohr (who is praised on the IVP website) said once that one of his publishers told him his biggest audience is young evangelical men. That would suggest that the future pastors, fathers, and leaders of the “Christian church” are going to be mystical meditators! So mystic Karl Rahner was right (as Ray Yungen often pointed out) when Rahner said, “The Christian of the future will be a mystic or he will be nothing.” Did we mention that one of IVP’s authors, Ron Highfield wrote a book titled Great is the Lord: Theology for the Praise of God, Barth and [Karl] Rahner: Toward an Ecumenical Understanding of Sin and Evil, God, Freedom & Human Dignity?

In the last chapter of Ray Yungen’s book, A Time of Departing titled “The Christian of the Future,” Yungen states:

Within the evangelical world, contemplative prayer is increasingly being promoted and accepted. As a result, it is losing its esoteric aspect and is now seen by many as the wave of the future. . . .

Contemplative advocates propose that there has been something vital and important missing from the church for centuries. The insinuation is that Christians have been lacking something necessary for their spiritual vitality; but that would mean the Holy Spirit has not been fully effective for hundreds of years and only now the secret key has been found that unlocks God’s full power to know Him. These proponents believe that Christianity has been seriously crippled without this extra ingredient. This kind of thinking leads one to believe that traditional, biblical Christianity is merely a philosophy without the contemplative prayer element. Contemplatives are making a distinction between studying and meditating on the Word of God versus experiencing Him, suggesting that we cannot hear Him or really know Him simply by studying His Word or even through normal prayer—we must be contemplative to accomplish this. But the Bible makes it clear that the Word of God is living and active, and has always been that way, and it is in filling our minds with it that we come to love Him, not through a mystical practice of stopping the flow of thought (the stillness) that is never once mentioned in the Bible, except in warnings against vain repetitions. . . .

Mysticism neutralizes doctrinal differences by sacrificing the truth of Scripture for a mystical experience. Mysticism offers a common ground, and supposedly that commonality is divinity in all. But we know from Scripture “there is one God; and there is none other but he” (Mark 12:32).

In one book that was being sold on IVP’s website (of which they are distributors, not the publishers) titled The Teenage Prayer Experiment Notebook by Miranda Threlfall-Holmes, it states, “Each chapter of the book introduces a prayer practice, eg using labyrinths, Lego Bible modelling, prayer beads, prayer walking.” The book also includes a chapter titled “Breathing Meditations” and one on the meditative prayer exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola (founder of the Jesuits). They have since removed the book from their site but still feature the author.

As InterVarsity Press races to reach millions of young people by 2030 with its mystical message, please do what you can to educate and equip your children and grandchildren before they pick up an IVP book or attend an IVP meeting in college and have their lives and their spirituality turned upside down.

Important Note: If you know a person who is attending a Christian college or going to be attending a Christian college, Lighthouse Trails is offering a free copy A Time of Departing. Just e-mail us at editors@lighthousetrails.com, and we will send you a copy of the book (which fully defines contemplative prayer/Spiritual Formation and its dangers) so you can give it to this person.

(photo: 2-second clip of IVP’s “2030 Calling” Promotional Video; used in accordance with the U.S. Fair Use Act)

Dear Lighthouse Trails:

I live in Victoria, Australia.  I am a born-again believer in Jesus Christ since 1979.  

I have subscribed to Lighthouse Trails for many years and always look forward to receiving your Newsletters that always contain truthful information.

Today, I am writing to seek your advice on Dustin Nemos (dustinnemos.com).  I wonder if you have heard of his ministry?

I have researched him for some time and believe he is a false teacher and living in the Old Covenant!  I am concerned for my husband, James,* as his relationship with the Lord has waned since taking on board this man’s teachings—particularly absorbing Nemos’ diabolical rhetoric and interpretation on the history of the Jews, and that the Jews today are not of God—even stating that Jesus is not a Jew!  Plus many deceptive videos Nemos puts on the Bitchute website. Until he started watching Dustin Nemos, my husband was very supportive of Israel and the Jews.  Sadly, James has no real understanding of God’s Covenant with Israel.

Nemos is ensnaring Christians who are ignorant of Bible truth to take their eyes off Jesus and focus on Dustin Nemos.  There is no talk of salvation or eschatology coming from his “pulpit”!  His Uncensored Church is open to deception and counterfeit Christianity; I believe he is currently writing his own Uncensored Bible, which is a concern!  Even his Serapeum logo “HISTORY” is demonic, entangled with a snake and Jesus on the cross!

He states he is willing to lay down his life for the truth!  I ask which truth?

During the last 12 months, I have compiled four in-depth pages on the spiritual background of Nemos, and the above info is only the tip of the iceberg on his false teaching.  

However, my concern is my husband’s total absorption with Dustin Nemos.  I have shared biblical truths, relevant Bible verses, and attempted to explain that this man is false.  He will not listen to me; he says I am deceived, as well as all churches for they do not seek truth concerning the history of the Jews.  Nemos talks about the “evil Talmud” and the “satanic Rabbis” of today who are involved in child-sacrificing, governments of every nation.   

What grieves me also is that James forwards all this information to our friends and family. Unfortunately, because of his deceptive influence from Dustin Nemos, we are now walking down separate spiritual paths.  (Amos 3:3).

I am continually in spiritual warfare, praying and fasting that the Lord would take the scales from my husband’s eyes. Sadly too, our outreach ministry has been put on hold due to my husband’s attitude towards the Jews.  

As James is adamant that he will not listen to any pastors’ opinions, I do feel confident, however, that he may listen to information from an independent source like Lighthouse Trails.  I, therefore, would be very grateful for any information that could support my claim that Dustin Nemos is a false and deceptive teacher.  

Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to read my email.

May God bless Lighthouse Trails.

Yours in Christ,

Julia*

*Not real names.

Lighthouse Trails Response:

Dear Julia:

Thank you for your email. It is heart wrenching to read what has happened with your husband. And we ourselves have seen this happen to others, and it truly breaks our hearts. We actually just lost a dear friend (a LT friend) to such teachings. It just so happens that our author Mike Oppenheimer has written a booklet (which we hope to release very soon) on Mike Adams (the “Health Ranger”), and Mike Oppenheimer told us in the past that Adams and Nemos share the same views.

Have you heard that Tucker Carlson and Candace Owens (both considered conservative Christians who gained a big following during the Covid years)? They have come out very antisemitic and have absorbed many of the teachings you describe. Well, Dennis Prager of Prager U. wrote an open letter to Canace last fall addressing some of these beliefs. It’s a very well-done letter, and we are attaching it so you can see if your husband will read it. Perhaps he’s even heard of Prager. At least he can see that there are reputable people who are refuting these horrible teachings against Israel and the Jews.

When we first encountered these antisemitic views about ten years ago, we spoke with a long-time LT reader on the phone about it. He said, “Well, if the Jews are the ones controlling the whole world, why are there only 14 million of them in the world?!” And just show your husband the map (see below). Look at the size of Israel!

Hitler convinced the German people that the Jews were horrible and even animal like. He duped them, just like Nemos is duping many. This really is extremely satanic. We pray your husband’s eyes will be opened. We took a look on Mike Oppenheimer’s site (Let Us Reason Ministries) and found that he has written a 4-part article on Nemos this year. It’s not in its fully edited format, but we are sending you the links:

https://letusreason.org/Popteach194.htm

https://letusreason.org/Popteach195.htm

https://letusreason.org/Popteach197.htm

https://letusreason.org/Popteach202.htm

Sincerely,

The Editors at Lighthouse Trails

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