The Axe of The Apostles Part1: Dominionism as Divine Design

The Axe of The ‘Apostles’

 Part1:

Dominionism as Divine Design

Now, faith is the substrate of things hyped for, the edifice of things obscene

Thou art my battle-axe and weapons of war: for with thee will I break in pieces the nations, and with thee will I destroy kingdoms; and with thee will I break in pieces the horse and his rider; and with thee will I break in pieces the chariot and his rider; with thee also will I break in pieces man and woman; and with thee will I break in pieces old and young; and with thee will I break in pieces the young man and the maid; I will also break in pieces with thee the shepherd and his flock; and with thee will I break in pieces the husbandman and his yoke of oxen; and with thee will I break in pieces captains and rulers (Jeremiah51:20-23).

Back in the 1980s, when I thought that I was finding my feet theologically, there was a lot of talk about authority, dominion, power & might. However, this wasn’t being attributed to The Lord. It was being ascribed to The Church. Our situation has not improved. Somehow, I think that we have gotten the order more than a little wrong.

Of course, the cry goes up ‘God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth’ (Genesis1:26). Well, it does say that. I mean, those words are printed on the page, aren’t they? Yes, they are. However, I’m yet to see anyone who believes this particular brand of things concerning dominion, pop down to their local zoo & jump into an animal enclosure or an aquarium, exercising their dominion over fish, fowl, wild animal or creeping thing successfully. On the contrary, God’s plan for man was expressed before the fall & only at the culmination of this age will we see the legitimate restoration of these things. The Wolf will indeed lay down with the Lamb.

Dominionism springs from [& is reinforced by] many of the common elements to be found within historic word-of-faith mythology, most especially the gnostic elements of teachings such as the authority of the believer & the Name of Jesus. This mythology in turn finds its root in an unbiblical mysticism, which fuels the current [so-called] New Apostolic Reformation. In reality however, it is The Lord Jesus Christ who holds ALL authority, dominion, power & might & not we ourselves. The moment that we think it is in our own power that we do things, we are in real trouble. I am in no way attempting to suggest that God cannot use us. He has. He can. He will. He does.

However, we are meant to submit to HIS authority, dominion, power & might. Instead, based on a series of twisted & badly stated theological diatribes, we attempt to exercise & wield these attributes as if they belong to us. They do not. They belong to Him & for the record, if you want that kind of authority, dominion, power & might, I suggest that you should be born of a virgin, live a sinless life & go to the cross. When you’ve accomplished that, complete a resurrection from the dead & ascend to The Father. Jesus said, ‘..All power is given unto ME in heaven and in earth (Matthew28:18). The writer of Hebrews describes Christ as being ‘..appointed heir of all things…the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power (Hebrews1:2-3).

Dominionism wouldn’t be so very bad if it were about The Lord Jesus Christ, but it isn’t. Classic Dominionism is about YOU. Dominionism is about YOU & what YOU can do. Funnily enough though, despite all of the positive confessions, declarations of faith & misappropriation of Jesus’ mighty Name, nothing [I repeat, NOTHING] has really changed within the ranks of the Word-of-Faith-Dominionist-New-Apostolic-Reformation camps. There are still things, it would seem, that ought to make all of us go, hmmmmmmmmm.

Notwithstanding, this movement's leaders & their followers still visit their doctors, opticians, dentists, general practitioners, surgeons & finally, their funeral directors. Dominionism, as stated, doesn’t work, yet multiplied millions continue to hold onto their glasses, which are always half full. They're told to hold on, press in, keep going, continue giving, confess & believe. In the economy of Dominionism, God is always about to do something & if you quit now, when you’re SO close, you’ll miss it. Well, personally I’m more interested in what God has already said & done. This is revealed to us in the closed canon of Scripture.

At the end of the day brethren, who do we really think we are? I'm being very serious here. A simple reading of Scripture tells us EXACTLY what we are in our humanity. We are a bunch of sinful & wretched rebels, completely unworthy of the amazing grace shown to us. Shouldn't that humble us? Shouldn't that make us overwhelmed with gratitude? Shouldn't that bring us to repentance? These are rhetorical questions, but valid questions nevertheless.

For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith (Romans12:3).

Personally, I view the position of Dominionism within The Church as a boast against God because it reminds me of the actions of a certain [former] angel & the disastrous mess his blind ambition created. Please, prove me wrong in this regard. Please. Brethren if you want dominion over something, consider conquering your sinful flesh. If you want power, opt to exercise godly self-control. If you want to be mighty, then humble yourselves under the hand of God.

Even with the best of intentions, we'd have to ignore HUGE swathes of Scripture to reach the unbiblical conclusions that significant numbers of dominionists have. Yet, ignore them we have. Ignore them we do. Ignore them we will. Why? Because all of the tenets of Dominionism are highly attractive. I'll summarise.

1. In the new birth The Holy Spirit re-creates the human spirit.

2. ...blah blah blah...

3. ...blah blah blah blah blah...

4. The Holy Spirit fills our re-created human spirit.

5. ...blah blah blah blah blah...

6. ...blah blah blah...

7. We possess God's Divine Nature. We are gods with a small 'g'  ...blah blah blah...

8. Christ's authority, power & might are ours through The Spirit's indwelling  ...blah blah blah

9. We can do what Jesus did when He walked the earth  ...blah blah blah blah blah...

At a glance my summary's rather tongue in cheek, I know, but as is the case with Dominionism & its numerous derivatives, you have a series of ridiculous statements secured against another series of even more ridiculous statements. The blah blah blahs are nothing more than a representation of every sermon series, book, YouTube clip & conference built on these shaky & foolishly presumptuous foundations.

Perhaps we'd all be better off if we went back to The Bible instead of reading the plethora of books that have been written about it by men & women who claim a superiority to honest & thorough scholarship by regaling us with their experience led testimonies. In my day, I'd read all of Kenneth Hagin's books. I'd read all of E.W. Kenyon's books. I'd read some of Kenneth Copeland's, but by far, my favourite writings were those of Dr. John Graham Lake. Although there are similarities between Lake, Kenyon & Hagin et al doctrinally, it was Lake's subjective presentation of God's miraculous power, the dominion thingy, that was the hook for me.

I read Spiritual Hunger, The God Men & other sermons. His messages on Dominion over Demons, Disease & Death. Adventures in God. John G. Lake a Man Without Compromise. The New John G. Lake Sermons. At one time I was in correspondence with Lake's son-in-law's ministry & received a copy of Jesus, God's Way of Healing & Power to Promote Health. As well as this, their ministry sent me a copy of Lake's unpublished writings. I ate it all up.

To Dominionists, Lake remains highly quotable. He said: "The thing that was forfeited in the garden was regained. God gave him [Adam] dominion over the works of His hand. God made him His understudy, His king to rule over everything that had life. Man was master, man lived in the realm of god. He lived on terms of equality with God. God was a faith God. All God had to do was to believe that the sun was, and the sun was. All God had to do was to believe that the planets would be, and they were. Man belonged to God's class of being - a faith man, And he lived in the creative realm of God." – John G. Lake, Kenneth Copeland Publications, Fort Worth, Texas 1994, pg. 66.

"The power of God, the Holy Ghost, is the Spirit of Dominion. It makes one a god." – John G. Lake, John G. Lake, His Life, His Sermons, His Boldness of Faith, 1995, pg. 13.

This & other statements by Lake captured my imagination at the time. I SO wanted that power & might to be apparent in my life. This is the danger of Dominionism when it's not about Christ. I never once asked the question as to whether this & other statements were true. I believed them as if they were because I wanted them to be.  If I had taken my Bible & checked, I would have seen that this wasn't true at all.

The emphasis on dominion is a wrong emphasis. Lake's statement is typical of an all too common misconception among those who claim to be a part of Apostolic ministry & most especially the [so called] New Apostolic Reformation. Just what was it that was forfeited by Adam in Eden? What did man lose there that he magically regains when 'his human spirit is recreated' & when the new birth occurs, does man then become a god once again? Once he's a god again, does he then have the power to wield the dominion that his new, Divine status affords him?

This dominion that is SO highly sought after by SO many, is not the dominion that God spoke of in the beginning. When did Adam exercise his God-given dominion? At what time did the first man create anything? On what occasion do we see him using faith-filled-creative-words? When? When was Adam a god, a king or a master? Perhaps my reading of the Genesis narrative is wrong when I conclude that Adam was to be an obedient servant. He was placed in the garden to dress it & keep it. Having dominion but failing a test of obedience & allegiance? How does that even work?

Where was Adam's creative mastery when the Serpent, a beast over which we are told that he had dominion, questioned his wife concerning God's Word & tempted her into eating forbidden fruit? Where was Adam's godhood & Divine quality when his wife handed him the same fruit & he ate it too? Dominionism fails to address this biblically. Dominionism fails, full stop.

The usual response I get to these & other poignant questions is, "Dave, it's not as simple as that.", to which I reply, "ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha."

Do we really think for one minute that Almighty God is in the business of giving us His power & might, simply because we've been taught that it's our right? Some of us do. However, The One to Whom ALL power in heaven & on Earth has been given, gave His Apostles His Doctrine & they gave this Doctrine to The Church. He didn't say all power has been given to US. Even when The Holy Spirit is promised by The Lord Jesus, He says nothing about us taking over the world (Acts1:1-8). So where in the world does this unsafe doctrine of Dominionism come from & brethren, more importantly, just where is it going?