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Restorationists believe that full sonship comes through higher revelation. The Christian life is fragmented into stages of maturity: the first step is that of servant of God; the next step is to become a friend of God; following this is to become a son of God and, ultimately, gods ourselves.
Yet the Scriptures teach that we are already all three: servants (Galatians 3:10), friends (John 15:14-15), and sons (I John 3:1). There is nothing in Scripture to support the idea that
Paul or any apostle or prophet ever put aside his servanthood to attain sonship (many epistles begin with the salutation by the apostle identifying himself as a servant of God), or that they ever believed they would become gods themselves.
Restorationists accept Dominion theology, which states that the church must rule over all things before Christ returns. This includes governmental authority as well as spiritual authority.
The reader should keep in mind that Dominion Theology is not an easily delineated segment within the Church, but rather a loose networking of autonomous sub-movements that have different approaches to their attempts at establishing the Kingdom of God.
The central doctrine of all, however, is that Jesus cannot or will not return to the earth until the Church has taken control of at least a significant portion of human government and social institutions. Whether this incorporates belief in a worldwide theocracy, or theonomy, or the subjugation of individual secular states to the authority of the Church depends upon the particular brand of Dominion Theology one holds. Whether the Lord will return immediately after the Church has taken control or after it has been in control for some time up to and including the end of the Millennium, is likewise dependent upon individual beliefs.
When I first understood the direction of Kingdom Now theology, I was puzzled. Jesus clearly rejected the possibility of bringing an immediate earthly kingdom into being. His disciples were puzzled that He would reject that option, choosing instead the path of suffering. Even after His resurrection, Jesus rejected that option.
Consider: the early church was closer to Jesus than we are. The disciples had personally walked with Him. They were there on the day of Pentecost. Yet even so close to the glory of the Lord, the early church did not bring in a literal kingdom reign of Christ.
Jesus warned us that in future times false teachers would point to signs of a literal kingdom, saying, "Lo, here it is," or, "there it is." But we should not believe them, because "the kingdom of God is within you" (Luke 17:21).
Writers and preachers such as Earl Paulk make it clear that the first-century Church did not have enough "faith" or maturity to accomplish this feat, and so the Lord's return was delayed. Now it is up to us to do the job.
"What are we waiting for? Why is Jesus waiting in heaven at the right hand of the Father? Who is He waiting for? He is waiting for you and me to become mature, for the Bride of Christ to become mature, so that He can come again. Did you know that God has done everything He can do? If anything else is going to be done, we're going to do it." (Form with Power, 1985).
This also demonstrates the Arminian orientation of Restoration theology. Where Vineyard types and mainstream evangelicals fall within the Reformed and Calvinistic heritage, revivalists and Restorationists are rarely Reformed in theology.
Dominion theology is also called "Kingdom now" theology. "Kingdom now" theology leaves behind the tension of living "between the times," with the kingdom both present and not yet. Since we can become "sons of God," and partake of the divine nature, we can walk in perfection and in authority, even leaving behind our mortality. The passage claimed for this teaching is Romans 8:19-23:
"For the earnest expectation of the creature waits for the manifestation of the sons of God. For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same hope, Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
"For we know that the whole creation groans and travails in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body."
A doctrine crucial to the Manifested Sons of God, perfection (success in living sinlessly) will result in incorruptibility. This will qualify those who "overcome" as worthy to rule in the Kingdom of God. There are even those who believe that they have already attained perfection and, as a result, will never die. They have attained a higher degree of spiritual evolution, so to speak.
A careful reading of Romans 8:19 will show that the "manifestation of the sons of God" alluding to the redemption of our bodies (verse 23) cannot be properly understood apart from I Corinthians 15:51-52, which states that we shall all be changed, "In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed."
From these verses it is clear that the "manifestation of the sons of God" - immortality - will take place at the last trump. First Thessalonians 4:15 makes it even clearer that this will not occur before the resurrection of the dead at the coming of Christ:
Restoration: Government by Apostles and Prophets?
To differentiate between legitimate "Kingdom theology" and man's attempt to bring the kingdom now through his own efforts before Jesus' return, we'll call the Restorationist version "Dominion Theology."
In Restorationist thinking, to accomplish the monumental task of taking dominion, a significant number in the Church must come into "unity" of thought and purpose. While the goal of the Kingdom builders is total unity, they realize that partial unity may be all they can attain. Whatever the case, the realization of any significant degree of unity necessitates a single voice of authority: a hierarchical structure through which individual believers will receive the necessary pronouncements to exercise dominion.
The voice of authority, it is believed, will reside in certain latter-day apostles and prophets operating in conformity to their own peculiar interpretation of Ephesians 4:11-12: "And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ."
In order for the saints to be perfected (made sinless) there must be a restoration of the offices of apostles and prophets. It is a major prerequisite, therefore, that the apostles and prophets be recognized by the Church at large. (It's interesting that we are currently seeing certain well-known Christian leaders referring to one another as "apostles" and "prophets".)
Once they are acknowledged, these apostles and prophets will bring forth new revelations from God, which will be the guiding principles in establishing the Kingdom. These revelations will be given to the Church through the evangelists, pastors, and teachers who accept the hierarchy's authority.
One manner in which the apostles and prophets will receive these new revelations will be through communication with heavenly beings (angels and departed saints), as well as with God - and specifically Jesus. It's expected that many of these "new revelations" will be authenticated through demonstrations of power in the working of miracles, signs and wonders.
Some also believe that for dominion to be effected, the world's wealth must be under the control of the Church. Hence the emphasis on prosperity and "divine health" as well as the ability to speak into existence things that are not as though they are (God-likeness). Hence also the sudden interest in "kingdom entrepreneurs" and the renewed emphasis on "bringing the full tithe into the storehouse" (Malachi 3:10).
After the Church has taken dominion, its task will be to purge the earth of evil, which is defined as lawlessness against God's moral laws and against the established authority of the apostles and prophets. This accomplished, the earth will be ready to be turned over to Jesus when He returns (some say "if" He returns).
Restoration: The Tabernacle of David
One of the key teachings of Restoration teachers is found in Amos 9:11-13, and also in Acts 15:13-18. We can give them credit for attempting to anchor this teaching in the New Testament, and not only in the Old. The following four points are from Bob Johnson, a Restoration teacher, on the tabernacle of David (www.tabernacle-of-david.com). I'll quote Bob's material and then respond section by section.
I. The prophet Amos declared that the Tabernacle of David was part of God's plan of restoration.
"In that day I will restore David's fallen tent (tabernacle). I will repair its broken places, restore its ruins and build it as it used to be, so that they may possess the remnant of Edom and all the nations that bear my name." Amos 9:11-13
There is no dispute on this point. The tabernacle of David is obviously part of God's plan for restoration. The only question to ask is in what form it will appear? Restorationists argue for a literal restoration of the tabernacle, with praise and worship performed round the clock. They see this work as absolutely necessary; Christ will not return until these words are fulfilled by the church.
II. The apostle James and the eldership of the early church interpreted this prophecy of Amos (concerning the restoration of David's Tabernacle) as being fulfilled in the church.
"...James spoke up: "Brothers listen to me. Simon has described to us how God at first showed his concern by taking from the Gentiles a people for himself. The words of the prophets are in agreement with this, as it is written:"After this I will return and rebuild David's fallen tent (tabernacle). Its ruins I will rebuild, and I will restore it, that the remnant of men may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who bear my name, says the Lord, who does these things that have been known for ages. " Acts 15:13-18
Again, this seems clear. The New Testament church was fulfilling the words given to Amos. Notice, however, that there is no new temple or restored temple worship or restored priesthood, in the Old Testament sense, happening in New Testament churches.. Instead, we are all priests. The church meets in homes. We worship not in Jerusalem but "in spirit and in truth." The people of God are now His temple.
III. If the Tabernacle of David finds its fulfillment in the Church, then the worship of David's Tabernacle is a model for the Church's worship.
What a HUGE jump! How did we get from fulfillment in the early church to the idea that we have to restore Davidic temple worship? This is clearly an error in logic. "All horses have four legs. Therefore all things with four legs are horses." This is simply astonishing. Let's look at Johnson's following points one by one.
A. The Old Testament types and shadows point to Jesus and his church, and give us deeper insight and appreciation for God's eternal purposes. "The New is in the Old contained... the Old is in the new explained."
What is happening here is the imposition of a particular millennial theology. Restorationists believe that the church is the new Israel in a different way than pre-millenialists. They believe God's specific agenda for Israel is complete, and now transferred to the church. So far so good, that could be true. But they take it a step further, as you will see.
B. The Tabernacle of David is the major type for worship found in the Bible.
1. The worship of David's Tabernacle is based on Heaven's worship.
2. The worship of the Tabernacle of David is described in great detail in Scripture. The majority of the Psalms were birthed in David's Tabernacle.
3. Even after David's time, Davidic worship reappeared in every subsequent revival mentioned in the Old Testament (Jehoshaphat - II Chronicles 20:18-2; Joash - II Chronicles 3:12-15; Hezekiah - II Chronicles 29: 25-30; Josiah - II Chronicles 35:15; Zerubbabel - Ezra 2:65, Ezra 3:10-13; Nehemiah - Nehemiah 12:27,36,45-46)
And the point is .. ? These items are really in support of point III above. We'll have to read a bit further to let him develop this.
C. Davidic worship was practiced by the early Church. The worship of the Psalms is encouraged by Paul (Eph. 5:19, Col. 3:16) and James (Jam. 5:13). The writer of Hebrews admonishes Christians to offer the sacrifice of praise (Heb. 13:15), a revelation received earlier by David (Ps. 51:15-16, Ps. 69:30-31).
Suddenly the worship of the early church is Davidic. There is no point arguing until we define "Davidic." We'll let Mr. Johnson do this for us.
IV. The worship of David's Tabernacle (I Chronicles 15 - 16:38)
A. There was a due order (prescribed way) in which the people were to worship God (v. 13), and this order was commanded in accordance with the word of the Lord (v. 15).
B. David prepared a place for the ark ( v. 1). We are to prepare ourselves to minister to the Lord, developing our spiritual sensitivity as well as our artistic ability
C. Only the Levites were to carry the ark (v. 2); and the Levites were to sanctify themselves (v. 12). Levi means joined and speaks of loyalty. Only those who are joined to the Lord Jesus and His church should minister in worship leadership. This faithfulness to God and His church requires us to daily sanctify ourselves by putting off the works of the flesh and putting on the garments of righteousness and praise. This applies to both congregational and appointed worshippers.
D. The Levites were appointed to their place of ministry (v. 16) and submitted to skillful leadership to learn their art (v. 22). There was no haphazardness to the ministry of worship at David's Tabernacle. Once the basic spiritual requirements had been met, skilled Levites were chosen to minister in worship leadership. These Levites participated in rigorous systematic training to learn their craft and were specifically appointed to their positions. These verses underscore the necessity of a regular, disciplined rehearsal schedule for those appointed to lead in worship.
E. Later on, we see both the Levites and the congregation praising God with joyful songs (v. 16) and rejoicing (v. 25). One of the results of a heart on fire for God are expressions of exuberant praise.
One could say, "No big deal." This is far more structure than some would prefer; it is really a new liturgy. But if you happen to be in the Presbyterian or Anglican traditions, you might be fully comfortable with more liturgy.
But the point Restorationists make is much stronger. UNLESS WORSHIP IS PERFORMED IN THIS PRESCRIBED FASHION, THE CHURCH IS NOT REALLY WORSHIPPING THE LORD. The restored tabernacle of David requires this, and Jesus will not return until we get it right.
In order to establish THAT point, we would have to ignore the books of Colossians and Hebrews. Before we discuss Colossians let's look briefly at John Bevere's presentation. In his book "The Fear of the Lord" we find this outline.
God's glory will be restored to the church and will exceed the glory as it was in the days of David. James quoted Amos 9:11 to the leaders of the church and applied it to the last days by saying:
"After this I will return and rebuild David's fallen tent (tabernacle). Its ruins I will rebuild, and I will restore it, that the remnant of men may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who bear my name, says the Lord, who does these things that have been known for ages. " Acts 15:13-18
By the Spirit, James saw this great harvest of believers coming into the kingdom with the restoration of His glory. He speaks prophetically, but he did not complete Amos's message, for that specifically applied to our time. Let's see the completion of Amos message:
"Behold, days are coming," says the Lord, "When the plowman will over take the reaper, and the treader of grapes him who sows seed; the mountains shall drip with sweet wine, and all the hills alike shall flow with it." Amos 9:13
No matter what application John Bevere applies to this passage, he is arguing from the silence of Scripture. First, it is possible that James did indeed quote this verse, but Luke did not record it. The Apostle John comments that, "There are also many other things that Jesus did, which is they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written." The Gospel writers were actively involved in recording and choosing accounts; not everything Jesus said and did was recorded. To assume that James did NOT quote Amos 9:13 and then build a doctrine on it is unacceptable.
But even if John Bevere is right and James did not quote verse 13, we are left to sheer speculation as to his reason. It is a faulty and flawed hermeneutic to guess his reasons and apply them to a particular prophetic agenda.
Go to Part III: In Spirit and in Truth: The Clash of Cultures
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• © 2006 Len Hjalmarson.•
Last Updated on September 9, 2005
Restorationists accept Dominion theology, which states that the church must rule over all things before Christ returns. This includes governmental authority as well as spiritual authority.
