Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 Part 14 Part 15 Part 16 Part 17

 

Illusions Born In Darkness

There are two extremes ministered today. One extreme is the "Christian norm" which sees everything as dark shadows of sin and sickness, turmoil and war, the devil and evil. The other extreme is that there is none of it, saying there is nothing but light. Sin is only a false identity. The dark shadows of war, the devil, and evil are merely illusions of the mind, as well as death. This extreme comes from mixing Kingdom truths with New Age philosophies. They are found somewhere between the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last, the Alpha and the Omega, and as it is with all illusions — both of these were born in darkness that covers the face of the deep.

We have already noted that all things were created in the Beginning, and that beginning is Christ Jesus. Moreover, as all things began in Him, all things had to come out of Him, and everything that came out of Him must eventually find their Ending in Him. It’s a law; namely, the law of circularity.

That mass exodus commenced after humanity’s federal head, Adam, said in his heart — I will be God. It was then that the extremes, those things which were born in darkness for the occasion, were sandwiched between the Beginning and the End. David must have known something of that darkness; for in the anguish of his soul he cried out — "...he (the enemy) hath made me to dwell in darkness..." (Psa 143:3). The apple of God’s eye, like all men born of a woman, was caught for a season between the Light, between the Beginning and the End, and no amount of positive confession could relieve him of that dreadful plight. And it was the same serpent which beguiled Eve that was the root cause of David’s temporary darkness, a darkness which covered the face of his glory and the deep of his soul. His appointed time of darkness, his tribulation filled occasion, worked its eternal purpose, as it does with every son. This has been common knowledge, but it seems to be fading. Some of the Kingdom brethren are beginning to feel the tribulations are not necessary; namely, that they serve no purpose, whatsoever. I differ with their views; for tribulations work intricately in our lives. If nothing else, tribulation works patience, but more than that. Tribulation is part of the temporary which serves in preparing us to reign in the earth. If there is any doubt about his, Paul can dispel it with this:

"Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God." Acts 14:22. The cross is a very necessary part of our lives. Without it, power ceases. Some, however, feel that they have received brand new revelation, saying that the sacrifice of Jesus was unnecessary; but Paul would disagree:

"For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect. For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God." 1 Cor. 1:17-18.

"For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness; But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men. For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world (such as a wooden cross) to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world (such as a wooden cross) to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world (such as a wooden cross), and things which are despised (such as a wooden cross), hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are." 1 Cor. 1:22-28.

Unfathomable things have been born in the appointed time of man’s darkness, and despising the cross of Jesus is only one of them. Jesus, of course, despised the shame of the cross, not the cross itself; for it is written of this: "Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame..." Heb. 12:2. A couple of those births of darkness, although coming as "angels of light," are it is finished and the sons of God have already been manifested. Generally, the two thoughts can be summed up as one; for when either is taught, the other is incorporated. They go hand in hand.

No doubt, we have all seen measures of both; for many things are finished, and the Kingdom of God has been with us for 2000 years, as Jesus said (rf. Matthew 12:28, Mark 1:14-15). When he said, "It is finished," while hanging from the cross, much liberty has been taken and used His words amiss. It is clear that He was declaring that His purpose for being lowered into the realm of darkness had been finished. It had come to an end, and His sacrifice was the redemption of man. He filled up His purpose, He left nothing undone, He finished what His Father sent Him to do; but all things which were created in Him in the Beginning were certainly not finished at that time, and likewise with the manifestation of the sons of God.

It should be clear that we have not seen that which is yet to be manifested in its fullness, that which creation groans for, and regardless of the claim, we have not seen the redemption of our bodies. However, we can be sure that the temporal serves to help usher us into it. If we are still suffering infirmities, reproaches, restraints, persecutions, and distresses for Christ’s sake, then we are not finished. Although the works of God were finished from the foundation of the world,— it is yet to be seen in its express fullness in us or in the world. Not all things are being manifested at this time; for that which is for the occasion is still working that eternal weight of glory in us. Some, of course, shy away from this working which bypasses all processing. I have heard it said that: "Fullness is now a reality. We no longer live in the in part realm, for the fullness of God is in each of us. The in part realm is history. Each one of us is the fullness of God. We do not know in part, for we know as we are known. We possess all that is necessary. There is nothing more to desire nor is there anything lacking."

It would be nice if the above statements were so; but like green apples, they are not ripe. They have not finished going through the process of growing, and the process of ripening cannot be rushed.

It matters not what we profess and claim. That is not what makes it so. God has not put His immutable plan of the ages under the desires of every man who is a liar. He is still working according to His unwavering purpose, and that purpose will be finished in due time. And that due time will be when the darkness for the occasion is swallowed by the light of Himself!

During the appointed darkness, we may tire of waiting and become frustrated with the impurity of the word ministered today, a word having a mixture of both Adam and Christ. This could cause us to be tempted to declare that there is no mixture, that everything God created in the Beginning is finished, and all we have to do is to realize it. The same would go for manifestation of the Son’s God, saying it has been with us since Pentecost, and the only thing lacking is our failure to believe it. If this is so, I would have to wonder why our drinking water is not so clear. I would have to ask, what are those specks floating around in the drinking vessels of the Kingdom, and why does it leave a bitter taste in our mouths? Jesus was the manifestation of the Son of God creation waited for, He fulfilled His part as the firstborn, the prototype of which all the sons are fashioned after. I would, therefore, have ask another question, why are we not seeing the glory in the sons that the people saw in Jesus 2000 years ago? John saw that glory — 14And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. John 1:14 — but we haven’t.

The fact is, I am having a hard time beholding His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father in anyone I know today. I see much grace and truth; but I haven’t seen anyone full of grace and truth. A few come close to it; but I don’t see it as being full, and I certainly don’t see it in His corporate body.

The Manifestation of the Sons of God is simply beholding His Glory in the Sons. That is the Manifestation of the Son’s of God, and that pristine glory has not been "beheld," so there has not been a "manifestation" of the Sons of God as Paul mentioned in Roman’s 8:18-21. Surely His glory, His grace, and His truth have all been seen in a measure since His Spirit was given at Pentecost; but that was not the Manifestation of the Sons of God which the whole creation has been groaning for. And to say that all we have to do is to realize it is nothing but wishful thinking, an illusion, which can lead to a strong delusion to believe the lie.

The Manifestation of the Sons of God is everything that Jesus was and did. Namely, he had power over demons, healed the sick, raised the dead, knew the hearts of all men, saw beyond the scope of time, resurrected from the dead, plus more, and this was common place for Him. Moreover, He did not have to try and believe any of it. He just was.

Frankly, rather than people being who they are, and manifesting the fulness of grace and truth, there have been a great deal of the devil, the beast, and the false prophet surfacing in our midst, and believe it or not, these three are real. There are misconceptions of them; but they are real. I like what Brother Eby said about them; namely, that the devil speaks of the adamic mind, the beast speaks of the adamic nature, and the false prophet speaks of the adamic word, the intellectual word of human reasoning. With that bit of understanding, let us know that these three, the carnal mind, the carnal nature, and the carnal word is what brings forth illusions, not what God says, but what they say.

Let us face it, these infamous foes of Light, those in delusion, make a pretense of being light; but that is all it is, a pretense, a facade, an illusion, if you please. We have noticed that when the true Light comes they rise up in fury to destroy it, or else they hide themselves from His presence. This is what the first two did:

"And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool (ruach, wind, breath, spirit) of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden." Gen. 3:8.

One would think that the voice of the Creator would have been greatly welcomed in their garden when they heard it, and under the right conditions it would have been. But this was a day when the conditions had changed, and His voice posed a threat. The change came after they said in their hearts, "My will, not Thine be done." His soothing, life-giving voice suddenly changed in their ears. From a promising concerto it became a drum beat of doom. To them, His voice resounded with the sentence of death. He who was once their life became their death. Darkness swept over their once enlightened souls. It covered their deep. They were ashamed. They were fearful; for God had become a law to them — "thou shalt not"; but they did, and the law slew them. If He had never told them, "...of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die" they would have not known sin and they would not have died in the cool spirit of that day.

Men have not changed, not one iota. They are still hiding among the trees from the presence of God. They are hiding among the nations. They seek refuge among the races. They find safety in varied religions of the world. And rather than God walking in their garden, Satan is found going to and fro in their earth, and walking up and down in it (Job 1:7). No longer is their home the garden Eden, but the desolate earth. Rather than light and plenty, they live in that place which became dark and void, in a realm void of any sense of God’s presence. Therein is where their minds are darkened from His counsel. 

The illusion was that they were made to believe that there was life to be had by taking unto themselves the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil; but reality stood firm, as God had said — "In the day you eat you will die." His immutable word was true. He did not lie. They, therefore, died, and in dying, they had to leave the Garden; for no dead thing could remain in that pristine palisade, and Satan began his long journey in man, upon his belly walking to and fro. At ever turn he has walked up and down in the earth, and especially in the arenas of humanity’s religions. He is a master in that particular field of work. He can sculpture a facade that will dazzle the mind. The colors and swirls will entice the unsuspecting, the young, the inexperienced, and sometimes the experienced. He will lure them into his hovel. That crafty serpent, the spirit which inspires the carnal mind, masquerades as an angle of light, alluring many by its smooth demeanor. To those without a trained eye, its works, its spirit, its word appears to be that of Christ — but it is not. It is offensive to the Spirit. It is contrary to the Truth. It is a stumbling block. Plain and simple — it is a lie!

We have mentioned this before, but it bears repeating. Paul said, "...Brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple" Rom. 16:17-18. Ah, here we see others who go upon their bellies, and they are religious people with "good words and fair speeches," and like their father, they deceive the simple.

Perhaps we can now see why Paul not only gave admonishment to mark and avoid such people; but he also named names of a few occasions. I have been asked why I don’t mention the names, like Paul did, of those I feel are deceiving people today. Since David Wilkerson has also named the names of various charlatans, exposing them for what they are, they wonder why I do not. First, neither Paul nor David Wilkerson are my standards. Christ is my standard, He is my Shepherd, and it is His voice I must heed, and only if I hear by His Spirit directing me to mention names will I do so. No doubt, both Paul and David Wilkerson, as well as others, have had the liberty to expose individuals by name. For the most part I have not had that liberty. Therefore, I will present what I see as truth. I will also shed the light I have on the stumbling blocks that do harm to people. They who read The Pathfinder can determine for themselves if I speak true or not.

As for the letters we include at times, I am usually in total agreement with those dear sojourners; but on occasion I am in total disagreement. If we print anything that bolsters Eastern Mysticism, it is done as an example of that error, and not because I am hoodwinked, as one sister thought I might have been. I can tell you straight up – I am not in agreement with it! For instance, the Sanskrit Hindu word, Namaste speaks clearly of New Age humanism, and I will neither embrace nor promote it. Namaste seems to be a key word of identification for many who are drifting eastward, which means, "I bow to the divine in you." Another Sanskrit rendering is, "the divine in me blesses and honors the divine in you."

I like what Emily Hartley said about it after telling me what her New Age friend told her Namaste means ("I salute the highest god in you"). Emily has the right take on it. She said the better way of saying it is: "I salute the highest idol in you." She went on to say it is nothing but a bunch of hooey fooey, and I agree; for what else could we say about such foolish idol worship?

Notwithstanding, let me say this. If you feel that New Age mysticism is for you — that which incorporates Hinduism, Buddhism, etc. — I will not attempt to convince you otherwise. However, I will do everything I can to convince those whose hearts are sincerely sealed in Christ, they who desire truth above all else, but they may not be sure what the truth is. If you can rejoice with me in the Spirit of Jesus Christ, then I will write, and continue to write, knowing that what I see and share will encourage you at least a little, and hopefully a lot. If you are on the borderline of deception, or even if you have plunged headlong into that pool, but you hunger for nothing other than the living reality of Jesus Christ, I will do everything I can to convince you that you are not the I Am that some are claiming to be. If you are being fed a mixture of mostly Adam a small measure of Christ, I will compel you take heed to what is being ministered. I will tell you to be careful, saints. Do not be enticed and swallow everything that is broadcasted today. If you do, you can be sure of this — the seduction will lead you to be deceived, and deception will cause you to eat from the carnal tree of self glory. You will, thereby, die in illusion on the vine as God had promised.

We know that the word deceive in Romans 16:17-18, "...by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple," means to be seduced completely. Offenses and contrary also need attention. In the same passage: "Brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine you have received..." Offenses comes from skandala, which means, snares, or fall-causers (Wescott-Hort). It is from this word we get the English word scandal, which means: stumbling block, traduce, conduct that causes or encourages a lapse of faith in another (Webster’s Unabridged). However, it is the word contrary, we want to notice more closely. As we noted in Part 3 of this series, contrary is translated from the Greek word, para, which means: "near, beside, at (or in) the vicinity of, to the proximity with." (Strong’s).

What I wrote in Part 3 about contrary things being taught today was fairly clear; but after hearing a news report about the renovation of Chicago’s Soldier Field, I saw how it draws a vivid picture of what I was saying. I had not known it; but there is a word for the contrary things being taught today. Those things which are near to what we have received, in the vicinity of and to the proximity with can be called — parabuildings. Parabuildings are additions that transform the character of existing structures. My research led me to the following article in the New York Times (June 16, 2003). You will, no doubt, notice the parallel of this parabuilding to the parabuildings being attached to Kingdom structures and ancient landmarks. The people’s acceptance and rejection are just about the same as well:

"Soldier Field Renovation Brings out Boo-Birds

"Those are some of the things people here are saying about a futuristic renovation of Soldier Field that is under way. The project is quite the topic of conversation among architects and authors and just about anyone who drives by. Not much of it is flattering....

"The architects call the new stadium design bold, aggressive and pioneering. But critics here say the renovation has desecrated a national landmark. Soldier Field, they insist, is no longer Soldier Field....

"Renovations that meld old and new are not unheard of. They are known as parabuildings, and some...have been favorably received.

"But the newspapers here have not been kind. The Chicago Tribune has called the new Soldier Field the ‘Monstrosity on the Midway’ and the ‘Mistake by the Lake.’ The Chicago Sun-Times recently released the results of a poll that declared it the city's ugliest building....

"One of the harshest critics of the new arena is Blair Kamin, the Pulitzer Prize-winning architecture critic for The Chicago Tribune. Mr. Kamin has called the plan a ‘nightmare’ and said it would disrupt the classical ensemble of buildings on the lakefront and destroy the architectural integrity of the original Soldier Field, which is a National Historic Landmark....

"‘We feel really good about this design,’ said Lee Bey, deputy chief of staff for planning and design in the mayor's office. ‘Even if it infuriates, it puts its foot down. We have to get away from this idea of architecture that's polite....’

"There was no way to keep Soldier Field's old character, said Carlos Zapata, one of the principal designers of the stadium.

"‘You cannot cantilever a classical style because classical buildings don't do that,’ he said. ‘This is a modern building. And modern means changing. This is 2003, not 1920 or 1800.’" — End quote.

Can you see the similarity? For instance: the Kingdom New Age teachings are quite the topic of conversation among architects and authors of these parabuildings, not to mention others; yet they are not flattering to the true structures of the Spirit. Those who teach these doctrines, which may be near the truth, call them bold, aggressive and pioneering. But the critics say the renovation of the building of Christ has desecrated a spiritual landmark. The image of this building is no longer that of Jesus Christ.

Merging of old and new doctrines are not unheard of. Such has been going on for eons. Only until now do we have a name for it — parabuildings. And some of them are favorably received by quite a number.

None of these parabuildings, even the nicer looking ones, are acceptable in the Kingdom of God. A few, however, are not nice looking at all. They can be called monstrosities, grave mistakes. They are ugly. Some are nightmares. They disrupt that which has been built according to the pattern and destroy the architectural integrity of the original House of God. That pattern is a Kingdom landmark.

As it is with the architects of Soldier Field’s parabuilding, the New Age architects really feel good about their designs, even if it infuriates those who see them for what they are. "What we are doing," they can be heard saying, "puts its foot down. We have to get away from this idea of doctrines that are spiritually polite. There is no way to keep the old character of Jesus Christ’s Body. You can’t use the same building methods on this new man. It won’t work. What we are doing is a new thing, and new things mean changing. This is 2003, not A.D. 30 or A.D. 60."

Can we hear what Paul was saying in Romans 16:17-18? Surely, we can, and it applies to us as well. He was giving fare warning about people whose words and manner of speech were snares to the simple. One thing that made the snares so effective was that they were laid alongside doctrines of truth. They were so interwoven with sound doctrine that they could not easily be distinguished from the truth. And so it is today. Much is being taught which is from the tree of man’s knowledge, yet it is so near to what we’ve been taught that the error is often missed. The teachings are in the vicinity of truth. They are rooted in the proximity of pure doctrines, they are usually close to what the scriptures say, but they are still the words of death. For they proceed from the covered waters of darkness. Although they appear differently and can be very alluring, their faces are not illuminated by the light of Christ; for the face of their waters are covered with gross darkness.

Until we are awakened by the bright rays of the morning Sonshine and truly begin to see the kingdom of God rising over Earth’s dark horizon, we can only see from the perspective of our own biases. As painful as it might be, it is of utmost necessity to have God’s external circumstances to bring about our internal purification. However, if we are opposed to that, let us go ahead and claim that we were never separated from God, that there is no darkness in or about us, that every ill thing is but an illusion. We will be sent a strong delusion and will believe the lie, and as Paul said, we will be damned in it (2 Thes 2:11-12).

Now, let me ask a pointed question. Do we think it is possible for God to lie? If so, we would be calling Him a liar. No one in their right mind would even suggest such an absurdity; however, to say death is an illusion is saying exactly that. Let me explain. Every word which proceeds from the mouth of God is truth. He cannot lie. His words are real. Real things have substance. And God said in the day you eat thereof – ye shall surely die. He did not say you will have an illusion that you are dead, but you will die.

Truth has always been substance; but lies have never been. Lies haven’t had a leg to stand on, much less a foundation. There is simply no substance to a lie. Although a liar may be real, his lies are not. They are soundless, and this leaves the liar with nothing substantial to stand or to build on. Lacking substance, lies have no reality; but please know that what God says certainly does! Every jot and tittle of God’s utterance is true! Every word which proceeds from His mouth has substance! They are all real, and not one of them has ever been an illusion!

And when God said "In that day you eat thereof Ye shall die," He told a truth. Therefore, death and everything related to it is truth. Lies alone are illusions, and illusions lead to delusions, and there is a difference. Illusions are like mirages, they both appear to be real; but once the light is no longer bent the mirage disappears, and this has to do with perspective. The change of perspective comes by rising above the earth’s surface or by approaching or backing away from the mirage or the illusion. That which appeared to be real is seen for what it is, as nothing, having no substance, and it disappears. Delusion, however, is a condition of the mind which believes the lie regardless of how unreal it is or what the perspective is. It is no longer viewed in an objective manner, but subjective. Those deluded see everything in the light, or rather, darkness of the lie, rather than the light Jesus Christ.

Bob Tornago wrote recently along these lines and sums it up very well:

"It is for this reason that I believe we are seeing a strong DELUSION coming out of many of the kingdom teachers. The difference between an illusion and a delusion is that the illusion is how something appears to us, such as a mirage of water in the desert, but the closer you examine it the illusion goes away. This is not so with a delusion, which is an internal deception, a spiritual insanity if you will. Recently, a movie was produced entitled, ‘A Beautiful Mind’ that described a true life story of a brilliant mathematician who had a fairly common mental condition, schizophrenia, in which the person actually sees no difference between real things and imagined things. As the movie is shown, the director purposely leaves the audience in the dark about what is real and what is unreal and it is a shock to find out what the schizophrenic actually was imagining to be real. The problem with delusion is that once given over to it, no one can prove to you that what you are believing is not true. Your mind has convinced itself that it is true and no longer can ‘discern’ between real and false." (Deceptions Of The Mind, The God Complex).

Illusions are born in darkness and are void of foundations, while delusions find their roots in the soil of souls, souls that do not love the Truth; namely, Jesus Christ, and especially His cross. But by the grace of God, they will be saved, yet as by fire (1 Cor. 3:15). Their day of deliverance will come as sure as the glorious lake of fire will come upon all men whose names are not written the Lambs book of life. God has made that provision for His beloved creation. However, for any of us who may be suffering from illusions — now is the time to be disillusioned.

To be DIS-ILLUSIONED simply means TO BE FREED FROM ILLUSIONS. Disillusionment is the state of seeing clearly. It is no longer being deceived or misled. The perception of revelation is not bent or misinterpreted. Its true nature is seen with clarity. To be disillusioned is to be freed from the misconceptions of the truth. It is being rid of false impressions, mixtures, similarities of truth, and parabuildings,

If people are totally against being disillusioned, this tells us something about the condition of their hearts. Their rejection of disillusionment states that they favor lies over the truth, illusions over the real.

To be disillusioned will shatter dreams, and this is painful,; but in order to finish the race, it is of utmost necessity to be DIS-ILLUSIONED. For as long as our sights are set on the illusions of a religious mirages and crafty facades, we will never find the well-spring of life.

Once disillusionment comes, it is common for people to become critical of others. But when it is God who brings the disillusionment, we not only see people as they really are, it is without being cynical or having any form judgmental criticism. Hopefully, this is the spirit by which I write these few pages; for if it is not, a flame or two of Godfire will find me and devour that adversary.

Many of the things which deliver the greatest grief and pain are rooted in our illusions. It is in the midst of illusions is where we often place our trust in others, trust which is based on misconceived ideas. It is wise to quickly dispel these illusions from our sight; but that is not always done so easily. Nevertheless, when we refuse to be disillusioned, suffering will be the fruit thereof. If we love someone apart from the love of God, we are likely to demand total perfection from that individual, and when we do not see it, we can become cruel and vindictive. The scenario is generally the same — we demand something which is humanly impossible for them to deliver, and that is because we have replaced the Living God with a "human god," and all gods, of course, must be perfect in our lying eyes.

We should all know that every human relationship that is not based on the love and faithfulness to Jesus Christ will eventually end in disaster. If we think differently, we are living the lies of illusions. The fact is, our Lord trusted no one. He laid His life down for all; but He never placed His faith in any person, as we often do. Neither was He ever suspicious or bitter. Jesus never despaired; for His confidence was always in His Father. He never relied on any person for His encouragement or life. As one has said, "If our trust is placed in human beings, we will end up despairing of everyone." 24...Jesus did not commit Himself unto them...for he knew what was in man. John 2:24-2:25.

Therefore, dear friends, let us be DIS-ILLUSIONED! Let us Live!

To be continued...

Elwin R. Roach

In The Beginning Directory
 

The Pathfinder
Elwin & Margit Roach
PO Box 4004
Alamogordo, NM 88311-4004

Home | Misc. Links