Yesu Mulungi - African Christian Perspectives

Arthur Owiti | December 1, 2009

The lie that one can build heaven on earth or experience hell on earth is one that will certainly lead one to destruction. It is part of the end time delusion that is taking many by storm.
 
This lie says that if one experiences good life and success and praise of men then he is in heaven he has achieved his purpose. If one goes through hard experiences like sickness or financial trouble or failure to achieve purpose or dreams he is in hell. What is interesting some Christians and unbelievers share common ground by holding this lie.
 
For Christians this lie is manifested in the following doctrines among other things;
 
Prosperity Gospel….. Promises better life and worldly riches if one gives to God. The abundant life is abundance in opulence and riches .It sanctifies greed and calls great gain godliness
 
Political Christianity/Dominionism….. seeks to make heaven on earth by making laws that stop sin in the world and also have Christian politicians to create the kingdom of God on earth since Christians are super moral .What they love is power to rule in this world and  the glory, comfort and wealth it brings.
 
Positive Thinking …. Just think and believe about the good things of life. God is loving and full of grace only, he has no wrath or vengeance Read the scriptures that are full of grace (as if correction is a 'negative thing ')Always be smiley and enjoy everyday life and everything will be fine. Heaven will be yours on earth if you just be positive.
 
Purpose Driven Life…for one to experience the abundant life in Jesus Christ you have to achieve your destiny on earth by doing your purpose and using your abilities for God’s glory. Life is about doing your purpose ,not God’s will.
 
Some Unbelievers also hold their own views such as Evolution or great big bang...they see the world as a place where one has to do his  best because the moment he dies he will not exist anymore. So heaven and hell are but fantasies or if it is real it is only heaven that exists.
 
Clash of Utopias
These beliefs are creating a clash of heaven on earth beliefs…the Political Christians heaven on earth utopia is about being the managers of the politics of this world therefore e seek to make laws that make this heaven possible such as moral legislations and suppressing infidels or Muslim terrorists. The other heaven on earth utopia is for those who are liberal about everything even wickedness and seek to make laws that qualify their freedoms to sin hence create their heaven on earth. The list is endless.
 
For Christians who hold these lies, demonization of suffering for Christ, persecution and pilgrimage in this world is at its peak. But is this what the early church held and believed?
 
The Early Church on Heaven and Hell
The New Testament teachings are clear on this matter that both these places are real and experiential. They are locations and not conditions or states of mind as some preachers want us to believe.
 
Jesus himself tells us that we should lay our treasure above and not below. He also says that he is preparing us a place with mansions. That sounds like location, not state of psychological fantasy or a state of mind.
The early church was exhorted in the same laying of treasures above as given in the Lord’s teachings by giving to the poor amongst them and living in moderation.
 
On heaven, they knew that they will inherit a better country, an heavenly city that is coming with the Lord’s return. So their eyes were set on him alone who has all the things they will inherit.
 
On Hell they were taught that this place was for unbelievers all workers of unrighteousness who will be punished for disobeying the gospel.
Jesus called this eternal punishment a place of weeping and gnashing of teeth.
 
IN summary, the early church heart’s was in heaven when they were on earth because they laid their treasure their by doing the sayings of our Lord as delivered by the apostles in the New testament writings.
 
Sadly, as years have gone through due to demonic driven apostasy fatigue and lack of patience, most of Christendom has lost hope of eternal glory by working hard to attain earthly glories of riches, politics and fame in this world.
 
By pursuing these things Christendom is saying their heart is not in heaven since they value the treasures of the world. Thus they do not have the Love of God but the love of this world.
 
By glossing the reality of Heaven and Hell one is in danger of blaspheming against heaven God’s throne. It also is a lindens to the reality that God will judge the earth and all men.
 
On the other hand there are those Christians who have made a kill by selling heavenly visions and hell experiences on DVD for people to know the realities. This is not true faith.
They are playing with people’s imaginations instead of telling them the truth about going to heaven and hell based on sound doctrine and not cooked up stories to make money.
 
If one has had a vision ,(which is possible) of heaven and hell, then say it but for the sake of truth making money out of it in the name of God is evil as Simon the sorcerer wanted to buy the Holy Ghost with his money.
 
We should not lose heart but keep looking for the new heavens and earth as we serve the Lord diligently in this world.
 
TRUTH OR FALSE UNITY
Is there love and unity without truth? Some believe so, but God’s word, the final authority on such says otherwise. There is no true unity without truth. Such unity is false and counterfeit.
 
Unity means oneness. Physically this seen through the union between a husband and wife, who share a name (though so called modernity has modified this). Family ties where a family shares one name, one ancestor. It is also seen in nationhood where people are one citizenry because they belong to one nation living in one territory.
 
For the church the bond of unity is our faith in Jesus Christ, the Word of God. Sadly this unity it has been falsified where many profess his name but do not preach his teachings, thinking that unity or fellowship without sound doctrine and truth is possible and right.
 
Using one name but having many different teachings...is that unity and love?
 
Early Church Unity
A look at the early church in the book of Acts, we see that their unity was based on Jesus Christ, The Truth. They came together because they believed in one Lord and Savior.
 
They expressed this oneness by doing his sayings delivered to them by his apostles. Hence doctrine molded them to Christ’s image (one image) which earned them the name from believers to ‘Christian’ because they were walking like their one Lord Christ Jesus, as individuals and a community.
 
The Early Church and Disunity.
Disunity only arose where there was false doctrines which bred strivings and arguments. The doctrine of Christ was being corrupted by greedy and malicious people who divide the church for vain glory and gain of this world.

The response to this division was to keep the bond of unity in keeping to the teachings given to them at the beginning. Paul stressed that the church walk in the same spirit, the same steps following the on the Lord Jesus, the head of the one church, his body.
 
So we see that truth protects unity while lies divide the church. The truth is manifested in the teachings laid out in the whole counsel of God’s word, the teachings of Jesus Christ given to the church as put out in the New Testament .No wonder they copied out the scriptures: same writings to different places, one word for many members of the body of Christ not members of a physical building.
 
Satan’s Counterfeit Unity
As already stated, the false doctrines divided the church throughout history and today it is still the number one weapon for division. However a new twist is arising whereby the divided bodies want to unite but on what basis?
 
These so called Christian denominations are talking about unity without mentioning the doctrine of Christ they claim to follow. As said they are separating his name from his sayings which is basically impossible and if it is done then they have a false Christ.
 
However we see that this is Satan’s unity whereby people join or unite for the sake of mammon and the world, not sound doctrine and Jesus Christ. That is why there is the talk of tolerance, to cloud the absolute and one natured form of truth

This unity is also being exposed in the systems of the world. Different companies offering different goods are merging together. These merges are seen where phone companies are coming together to gain big time in global rush for monopoly. Monopoly in law, monopoly in technology, governments and politics, monopoly in media and information is the ongoing form just like the tower of Babel. All this is culminating into a one world united against God
 
One God Twist
The lie that is solidifying this unity is that God is one and therefore we all better join together because we have different ways of worshiping him. Yet Jesus says that the Father seeks for those who worship him in spirit and in truth. His one word is truth so how are these people with one thousand truths going to worship the One God?
 
The god they are talking about is Satan and this will be envisaged when they worship the Antichrist. The unity they are talking about is tolerance and saying good things about those who do not believe in one's religion. Declaring that Jesus is the way the truth and the life is seen as an offense by many who believe in this unity.
 
For the Christian it is when we are established in the truth of God's word that we can speak of true unity and love. When Jesus prayed for the believers to be one, also prayed that we be sanctified by truth, the word of God. Earnestly contend for that truth and keep the unity of the spirit as we reject utterly the satanic unity that is not based on truth and therefore not based on love. A unity that is bound for eternal destruction.