The Apostolic Mob Of The Lord's Recovery - The Usurpation Of God's Throne
 

Why did the Lord have mercy and grace toward the sinners yet scorn and condemnation toward the scribes and the pharisees? Why is there so much tension and animosity inherent throughout the gospel account in relation to Jesus and the scribes and the pharisees?

Matt 23:2 brings us to the basic error of the scribes and the pharisees. "the scribes and the pharisees have seated themselves in Moses's seat."

The scribes and the pharisees not only claimed spiritual authority over God's flock in a general sense, but they usurped Moses's seat. Moses's seat represents God's oracle in the old covenant particularly expressed through the first five books of the Old Testament - Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. Moses's seat represented God's throne to God's people. For the Lord to say that "the scribes and the pharisees have seated themselves in Moses's seat" implies that the scribes and the pharisees have usurped God's authority over His people. God's throne (represented by Moses's seat) was illegally occupied and misrepresented by the scribes and the pharisees. This is serious.

Hebrews 3:1-6 clearly reveals that Moses was God's unique apostle of the Old Testament in comparison to Jesus Christ as God's unique Apostle of the new covenant. Moses represented God's throne in the old covenant, Jesus Christ is on the throne since His inauguration as Lord and Christ in His ascension. Moses's seat (God's authority) has been transferred to the God-man Jesus Christ in His heavenly ministry as our Great and Merciful High Priest. The throne is Christ's.

Matt 23:8-10 makes it clear that God's seat of authority remains uniquely with Christ and the Father, and that all believers are equal in status under the ruling of God's Christ.

Let us now turn our attention to the apostolic mob of the Lord's Recovery:
It is safe to say that the blended brothers have seated themselves in Christ's seat. Whenever Ron Kangas steps up to his pedestal and proclaims "this is the speaking of God's throne" he is in the principle of Matt 23:2 - usurping God's throne. An important principle to understand is the fact of legitimacy. Moses legitimately represented God's authority - Moses was directly appointed by God. In the same principle Christ is the legitimate heir of God's throne - God appointed Jesus Lord and Christ over all. In the same way Paul's apostolic authority was legitimate - he was sent by the resurrected Christ Himself.

Legitimacy precedes authority. Scripture always confirms the legitimacy of God's authority. This is precisely where the scribes and the pharisees (apostolic mob of the Lord's Recovery) do not fit the bill. Their claim to represent God's authority is not legitimate. It is self assumed.

Witness Lee was not sent by Christ. Witness Lee was sent by Watchman Nee. Lee is Nee's apostle, not Christ's apostle. In the same way, the blended brothers are not Christ's apostels, but Lee's apostles. Witness Lee himself testified under oath that he is not an apostle. Yes, so neither are his sent ones.

Whenever the blended brothers claim to be the unique representation of God's throne - they are in fact usurping God's throne . They are repeating the same error of the scribes and the pharisees.

All believers can claim (seek) oneness with God's throne (Eph 2:6 ;Rev 3:21), not merely a special group of brothers representing a mediatorial class or some "deputy authority".

To the blended brothers of the Lord's Recovery - the throne belongs to Christ (and to all those in Christ).

Re: The Apostolic Mob Of The Lord's Recovery - The Usurpation Of God's Thro
 

Brilliant assessment! Just one more reason why prayers within the movement were rarely addressed to "Our Loving Heavenly Father God"! In order to make his "brand of cargo" sound super-special, Lee tossed the Father and The Holy Spirit into his Gnostic Blending Machine and out popped a proprietary processed God? :crazy:

Then later on when things began to get boring & book sales declined, Lee "recovered" the baby gods teachings to spice things up? :furtive:

P.S.

Re: The Apostolic Mob Of The Lord's Recovery - The Usurpation Of God's Thro
 

Re: The apostolic mob of the Lord's Recovery - the usurpation of God's thro
 

TheStarswillFall, what you say is right for building up the single local body. But what about church history? After Christianity was fully degraded by Catholicism, didn't God initiate a recovery? Didn't it progress in stages and rediscover step by step lost spiritual truths? And did God not work with “ministers” of his work in these ages, beginning with Luther? Don't we all stand on their shoulders?

But I agree with you that Lee was not sent by the Lord, but by Watchman Nee - but only to Hong Kong.

Re: The Apostolic Mob Of The Lord's Recovery - The Usurpation Of God's Thro
 

What about church history? "Church history" is man-made, is it not? "Church History" is laced with the opinions and observation of man. However accurate or inaccurate some of these historic observations may happen to be, "Church History" is, and always be, the making of man with more "authority" bestowed upon it by men than maybe God himself would commit.

Did God initiate a "recovery"? Again, this is a man-made opinion. Did anything of the work of God ever need to be "recovered"? In God's mind, was anything he ever did "lost"? God and all his work is eternal, is it not? God's work never went anywhere.

These man-made matters today have reached the level of "gospel". In my opinion, these man-made opinions have indeed ushered in the beginnings, if not full-blow, condition of the church in Laodicea. Man-made "Church history" has superseded the voice of God in the church today.

Has God committed himself to this man-made "Church History"? Maybe it's time to put "church history" in its place as subservient to the voice of God, and put God in HIS place as the living, loving God of the universe.

Witness Lee trumpeted "degraded Christianity", but he failed to acknowledge that his own "church" was as degraded, if not worse, than his Christian brothers' organizations.

Nell

Re: The Apostolic Mob Of The Lord's Recovery - The Usurpation Of God's Thro
 

Yes, of course things had to be recovered. Especially the gospel. Was what God did through Luther merely "man-made"??

Re: The Apostolic Mob Of The Lord's Recovery - The Usurpation Of God's Thro
 

It is called the “Protestant Reformation”. By definition, if God did it, it was not man made.

I see your point, but does anyone seriously believe Witness Lee “recovered” anything of the caliber of salvation through faith alone? Witness Lee’s “ministry” was so complicated, wordy and “Leeized” he was likely the only one who could comprehend it because he made it up through personal interpretation of scripture and called it “recovered.”

I’m saying that Church History has been defined by what men say it is rather than defined by God.

Nell

Re: The Apostolic Mob Of The Lord's Recovery - The Usurpation Of God's Thro
 

Yes, church history is full of man-made nonsense. And I include the confused teachings of Witness Lee in this. But nevertheless, after salvation through faith alone, God also showed us baptism, holiness, spiritual gifts, and the universal priesthood anew. And in my opinion, he also showed us in the last century that he doesn't want denominations. Once they are abolished, we will be able to enjoy the New Testament conditions again. However, I am aware how much this contradicts evangelical thinking and that it may take a long time. But I am optimistic that the time will come when people will also view denominations as man-made nonsense, just as they once did with the sale of indulgences.

Re: The Apostolic Mob Of The Lord's Recovery - The Usurpation Of God's Thro
 

You think denominations will someday be abolished? Where do these verses fit in?

Rev. 3: 14 And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;
15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.
16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:
18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.
19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.

Nell

Re: The Apostolic Mob Of The Lord's Recovery - The Usurpation Of God's Thro
 

I think the last epistle describes almost perfectly the era the of evangelical churches, including the so-called "local churches". In some way, they are the worst of all because they were rich in knowledge, even regarding the final step God wants to take with his people. As God's "little flock," they should have patiently taught the denominations about God's problem with them. They should have worked to overcome the problem, receiving people according to God's Son. Instead of this they messed it up. They became a denomination themselves, and a particularly cultic one.

Re: The Apostolic Mob Of The Lord's Recovery - The Usurpation Of God's Thro
 

So true! This is astonishingly sad. How can this dear group of believers behave this way? So many things they teach and say that do not exhibit the Lord's Body in any shape or way. How tragic.

I pray that the LC leadership and LSM repent! The church so needs to gather like this, and as the brother said, "they messed it up."

Re: The Apostolic Mob Of The Lord's Recovery - The Usurpation Of God's Thro
 

Do you think the "era of the evangelical churches" have anything to do with the fulfillment of end times prophecies?

Re: The Apostolic Mob Of The Lord's Recovery - The Usurpation Of God's Thro
 

I see parallels to Laodicea.

Re: The Apostolic Mob Of The Lord's Recovery - The Usurpation Of God's Thro
 

I'll repeat my question:
Do you think the "era of the evangelical churches" have anything to do with the fulfillment of end times prophecies? What parallels? What are the parallels you see between Laodicea and the American Church? How can the American Church NOT be the fulfillment of the Laodicea church?

I have noticed that many Christians "zone out" when it comes to the matter of the end times. I've heard the speculation that most of the entire Bible is related to the end times. That is to say: judgement begins at the house of God.

Nell

Re: The Apostolic Mob Of The Lord's Recovery - The Usurpation Of God's Thro
 

Nell,
Perhaps I don't fully understand your posting and you might want to explain it a bit.
Yes, judgment begins at the house of God. The Bible states this clearly. Do you see it differently?
I don't see any specific end-time prophecies that would have to be directly related to evangelical characteristics. But I do see parallels to the last epistle: Believing that everything has now turned out right. We have everything we need, we are rich...
My own experience is not that Christians zoom out on end-time issues. Quite the opposite. We prefer to focus on them to the point where we don't see our own failure. That's why I want to be cautious about engaging in end-time interpretations. We should interpret the signs of the times — yes! But above all, we should clean up our own backyard. We should align our church-being with the gospel. And here, I see, above all, the unresolved problem of division, about which evangelicals usually say: it's not a problem at all, but rather, it's okay.
The message to Laodicea is: Buy yourself some eye salve. And if the "local churches" think they're the fully restored church, then I'd say they need some very expensive eye salve.