I will give you [all] the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven. Matthew 16:19 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
Most people read the Lord’s words above, and the companion passage in Matthew 18:18, as an intellectual curiosity, as a take-it-or-leave-it proposition, or as if He were saying, “If you care to receive it…” Like a great deal of what the Lord says, this too is a statement of fact. In other words, He has given to His body, the Church, the keys of the kingdom of heaven–have the keys been used by the Church, and if so, how? Yes, they have, but not very well. Plainly stated, many of the conditions that exist in the world today are the direct result of the judgments of the Church. In this post, we shall look at a few of the Church’s judgments, and consider the result in the earth.
The word “judgment” may be defined as the ability to judge, make a decision or form an opinion objectively, authoritatively, and wisely. Therefore, if a significant portion of the Church, across all denominations, practices, and affiliations, forms a common doctrinal opinion, God receives this as a judgment of the Church and allows it to out-work in the earth.
Church Judgment: God will judge the “goats” of Matthew 25 with everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels, which will neither go out nor will be quenched by the worm. In other words, those who fail to meet the doctrinal qualifications of each particular denomination’s creed, such as “trust Jesus”, or be “born again” or be baptized for the remission of sins, or be baptized with the Holy Spirit, or whatever, will be tortured in hell with torment and anguish forever.
Result in the Earth: Torture is utilized by all governments of the world, including the United States of America. The government’s apparent justification is: the enemy is going to hell anyway, so in order to “save lives”, we will give them a preview by torture.
Church Judgment: The Church is unable or unwilling to birth the manchild; i.e., Christ in you, to fulfill the law of the deceased brother; instead we have only passed gas, or as Isaiah says, given birth to wind.
Result in the Earth: Abortion has been legalized in America and everywhere else in the world. Some even view it as desirable as a method of population control. That it is not in the interest of the political movement who endorses it (abortion) may be seen in the fact that after one generation its proponents are outnumbered by pro-family forces whose children are now of voting age. Those new voters who would be pro-abortion are dead, having been aborted. Regrettably however, abortion shall continue until the Church’s judgment is overruled or replaced.
Church Judgment: When Jesus returns, he will hack and hew His enemies to death with the sword coming from His mouth–in just judgment for the enemies’ disobedience, or for merely being His enemies. The blood will run as deep as a horse’s bridle.
Result in the Earth: All armies of the world, including the United States, have soldiers who hack, hew, dismember and otherwise deliberately commit atrocities against their “enemies” (meaning, anyone unfortunate enough to be in the way). Anyone who protests these actions is accused of “not supporting the troops” in an Orwellian display of false patriotism. Moreover, because the atrocities are not widespread enough and are even covered up in secret (to further mirror the hypocrisy of the Church), most people refuse to see the connection. There were hundreds of reporters in Viet Nam–only one reported the My Lai massacre.
The problem with this particular judgment is that it stems from a failure to understand what the Lord Jesus was saying, and the mindset with which He was saying it. Instead, by projecting man’s fallen nature upon Him, the end result is a false accusation against the Lord Jesus of the worst sort. Isaiah and Hosea both made it clear that the “sword coming from His mouth” refers to the words of His mouth, with which He will bring conviction and repentance upon His “enemies”, so-called. His purpose: to draw all men to Himself.
He has made My mouth like a sharp sword, In the shadow of His hand He has concealed Me; And He has also made Me a select arrow, He has hidden Me in His quiver. Isaiah 49:2 NASB
Therefore I have hewn them in pieces by the prophets; I have slain them by the words of My mouth;
And the judgments on you are like the light that goes forth. Hosea 6:5 NASB
Church Judgment: “Israel” has returned to the land (God’s house) apart from the bonds of marriage to YHWH/Jesus Christ. The Jewish nation has been given/taken the name “Israel” and since 1948 has occupied the land promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Result in the Earth: Since 1948, it has become legally acceptable for men and women to live together without being married; i.e., since the Church is shacking up with Israel, it is permissible for everyone else to do likewise. Zionist Christians fail to understand that the rotten figs of Judah have taken the name that belongs exclusively to the sons of Joseph.
Church Judgment: God is not omnipotent and only exercises limited sovereignty, because He will not override man’s free will. Therefore, God doesn’t really SEND people to hell–they CHOOSE it themselves, because they chose not to trust Jesus to save them.
Result in the Earth: God answers according to the false idol: a distorted image of God. Among the Christian community, lives are in chaos, suicides are increasing, the divorce rate is climbing, and backsliding is increasing, and the love of many is waxing cold. See David Wilkerson’s article from 1985: God’s Grief Over His People. We do not doubt that Father is grieving. But the answer is found in Ezekiel 14:4–God will answer according to the multitude of the Church’s idols, in order to lay hold of the hearts thus estranged from Him. If the Church wants Father to override man’s free will, it must change its attitude about God. In the meantime, the Church is receiving what it decreed for mankind; i.e., it is being judged by its own words.
Church Judgment: In the name of religious freedom, it is permissible to have different denominations, teaching different doctrines and even opposing doctrines–in effect, to divide Christ.
Result in the Earth: America, like a double-minded man, has been unstable in all its ways since its beginning–divided, tossed to and fro like the surf of the sea tossed by the wind. When the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock, they sought religious freedom, wanting to worship according to their understanding of the Bible–a reasonable desire. However, when the colonists landed at Jamestown, their motto was (in a manner of speaking): It’s the economy, stupid. (The campaign slogan that swept President Clinton into office.) Since the very beginning, our country has been divided between the religious and the secular. And so the power swings back and forth, to and fro, with each election, one side or the other obtaining the ascendancy. We say again, the judgment will continue until it is overruled by Father or changed by the Church.
Blessed are You, O Lord our wonderful God, for You have entrusted to the body of Christ the keys of the kingdom of Heaven. Teach us Lord Your ways, and teach us how to judge rightly and by so doing, to turn the world upside right.