April 2011 Edition of CRYOUT Magazine
The High Places by Bola Olu-Jordan
“And Jeroboam ordained a feast in the eighth month, on the fifteenth day of the month, like unto the feast that is in Judah, and he offered upon the altar. So did he in Bethel, sacrificing unto the calves that he had made: and he placed in Bethel the priests of the high places which he had made (1Ki 12:32).
Most of our pulpits today can be likened to the altars in the Temple of the kings of Israel, where, just as we do in our churches today, quality worship, high praises, prophetic utterances of blessings, breakthrough and sermons of motivational and other exciting messages are released upon the people from the exalted altar by appointed priests. Upon this altar, gifts, sacrifices and offerings are also given to God through the priests in appreciation for the miracles, prosperity, etc they receive from Him.
Unfortunately, God was neither present nor received the offerings of the innocent people in the time of the Kings of Israel because while the temples were beautiful and adorned with costly sacrifices, they were built in wrong places where God did not and could not dwell, i.e. Dan and Bethel instead of Jerusalem. The Priests that ministered at the altars were not called by God from the tribe of Levi, but appointed by the king through personal benevolence and loyalty. The image at the raised altar was not the ark of the Covenant, but the Golden Calf which the priest presented to the people as the God which saved them from Egypt.
This have a very striking similarities with the church of today where worship centers spring up in every corner with pastors, not called by God, but appointed by the generosity and loyalty of the G.O’s or Pastor-Founder to attract people to their Bethel with wonderful programs and activities to make members of a man-founded church where strategies, logics and other human methods are used to instill religious fear and commitment to the founder who is busy laundering his ambitions and building personal empire for his generations to come through the unsuspecting gullibility of the congregants who could not discern the presence of God but miracles.
Many of such pastors are descendants of Jeroboam, whose only reason for building temple for the people is to make himself a successful king, not because he was called or loved the people. The barometer of their success is the crowd which is sustained by network of branches built in strategic places to capture people from Dan to Bethel and the people are maintained by the professional charisma of the priests and wonderful programs to make them forget the original temple in Jerusalem where God is.
Only a gene brings such perfect sequence or order of synchronization. Every fruit is known by its seed. A mango seed can only produce a mango fruit, so also a pawpaw seed. The seed of Satan can only reproduce him, just as it was with Cain. It is the seed that is in man that determines who the man really is. If the seed of the devil is in the man, people may call him a Pastor, but he is primarily the seed of the devil. We may call the descendants of the Priests of Baal in Jeroboam’s Temple and in our churches today Pastors, but they are who they are.
The Pharisees also claimed to be the Seed of Abraham, but it wasn’t difficult for Jesus to trace their true ancestry with accuracy: “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it” (Joh 8:44). So much like the end time church which says she is rich and increased in goods and have need of nothing, yet she is poor, naked, and does not know it (Rev.3:10)
It is a known fact that when people spend so much a time in a particular place, they tend to forget their true ancestry and identity, just like many believers have forgotten who they are on earth. We may have been long in the church system and even speak the language of the altar, we might be born to Christian parents and grow up learning the Bible; we might have even schooled to become a pastor with outstanding works of miracles, but the God of heaven who knows all secrets knows your true identity which may be hidden from man, but not with God.
There would be pleasant surprises in heaven at the last days! There would be unsung heroes and heroines! Many would be twisted to finally know that most of the people they call bishops on earth are never known in heaven and those who welcome them to heaven, if they ever make it, are the people they rightfully disdained, despised and unknown on earth!
It is rather surprising, if not confusing, that instead of encouraging the wicked to change from their wicked ways and also admonish the upright and the faithful to continue being faithful, Jesus rather said: “He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still. And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. (Rev 22:11-12). He is the God of Grace and mercy now, but soon, he will be the God of judgment.
This is not the time to pamper believers and offer bread and butter messages; of prosperity, breakthroughs, abundant blessings and make them feel good with prophetic words designed to warm themselves to the pocket of the hearers; it is time cryout with a loud voice to whoever would listen of the danger of the time we live in. The message at this hour is too urgent to pronounce blessings, but to invoke the warnings of dare consequences of the last days.
The Angel at Sodom and Gomorrah did not have the time to tell Lot, as the pastors of today are wont to, some stupid quotable quotes which originated from dead philosophers and are profusely quoted even more than the sacred words of Jesus in many altars today. The Angel did not tell him some words of wisdom, He did not ask him to speak some Positive confession or pronounce some prophetic words on himself; but to run as fast as his quacking legs could carry him and never look back to the judged Sodom! It was not time for Joseph to speak in tongues with Portiphar’s wife, but to run, not minding losing his robe. It’s better to lose your robe than to lose your soul. The time of judgment is a time to run for cover and survival: away from Sodom regardless of what to lose in terms of title, achievement, etc. What shall it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul (Mk.8:36). What is more important than your soul?
There would be great wonder and puzzlement on the faces of many Christians if God opened their eyes to see their so called Church! It will be so unbelievable they may call God a liar! “The church” has never been better than the temple and the altar never cleaner than that of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat who made Israel to sin! In the Old Testament, God took Ezekiel to see the secret things that are being done in the temple, not visible or known to innocent members and worshippers. All manner of sinful and abominable practices that made Ezekiel, even Prophet Ezekiel to go berserk! Jesus witnessed it too in the Temple in His day. He became so mad he almost lost it, yet his disciples couldn’t understand what his problem was; to them, that was the ideal temple they grew up to know and everything, to them was ‘normal’. Same with an average Christian today, to them, everything is normal in their church, but enough to drive Jesus mad!
Did Jesus succeed in driving those people out of the Temple? Not permanently, but He rather warned to come out of the system and be separate. You can’t change them, but you can run from them. God never called His children to go and change a system. Systems cannot be changed; you will end up being changed. That’s why each time a movement becomes organized and denominationalized, the Holy Spirit leaves to begin a new work. Although, most of the people that leave to begin a new work eventually fall to the same sin of the people they are running away from, sometimes even deeper. But it is better to run away from hell, than to have the mentality of changing people in hell. The message is still the same at this time. Judgment is imminent and the only way out is to run, for judgment must begin in the house of God.
The Bible says “For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape” (1Th 5:3). How many pastors would speak the mind of God to their congregation of sinful hearers every Sunday? They are afraid to lose them! ‘Cursed is he that calleth evil good, that is the tradition many pastors are used to when possessed with the spirit of Herod every Sunday, displaying grammar, rhetoric, poetic verses, rhymes and quotes. They prophesy lies on the expectant people who themselves, want to ear lies about the mind of God on their problem (1Tim.4:1). They tell the people about the love of God, but not about His wrath! At the resurrection morning, many people will curse those pastors that indulge their lackadaisical faith walk for the sake of the tithe and offering they will get from them. Judgment is approaching, the king is about to sit on the judgment sit: it’s time to be sober, not rejoice. Be sober, be vigilant.
This is not the time for Sunday celebrations and dancing orgies in the name of the Lord, it’s time to work out our salvation with fear and trembling (Ph.2:12), “knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed” (Rom 13:11)! It’s time to cry out like Moses who “stood in the gate of the camp, and said, who is on the LORD'S side? let him come unto me” (Exo 32:26). And as Joshua also cried out unto the people: “choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD” (Jos 24:15).
THE COMPROMISE
The priest appointed by God do compromise, let alone the priest appointed by man. God does not repose His confidence in His servants and with His angels He finds fault (Job 4:18). God never commit the revelation of any of His mysteries into the hands of even His own priests from history immemorial, but prophets, how much more priests that are not of God, only appointed by the benevolence of the General Overseers and Pastor-founder as a reward of their faithfulness and eye service.
From the four hundred years between the time of Prophet Malachi and John the Baptist, it was adjudged as God never spoke to Israel because there was no Prophet in the land, yet there were countless Priests. Before Prophet Samuel was born, the Bible say there was no teaching priest (prophet) in Israel and everyone did what was right in their own sight. “Where there is no vision, the people cast off restraints” (Prov.29:18. ASV). Yet, these prophets are not the type that we see today who are only seers, seeing only what happens to people but not what God is doing with His people, the church, the body of Christ. New Testament Prophets are concerned with the body, not individuals, providing clear leadership to the body, crying out to the apostate church as a watchman.
Only Priests of the tribe of Levites know the mind of God and only them could speak the mind of God to the people because they are the only tribe called by God to minister in the temple of Jerusalem. Priests of the Temple of Dan and Bethel were appointed by Jeroboam, the founder of the new Temple to ensure that people do not defect back to Jerusalem thereby losing his credibility. The gullible people from the ten tribes of Israel were sincerely deceived and were sincerely lost forever.
THE ALTAR
An altar is any structure or consecrated place in a sanctuary or shrine where sacred duties like offerings and sacrifices are offered to deities. In the olden days, such places are believed to be truly sacred and only the initiates, like the priests and worshipers of the deities are allowed to be there after observing certain rites or rituals.
The evil altar which survived every generations and even now was built by Jeroboam, the son of Nebat who inherited the ten tribes out of twelve tribes of Israel because of the foolishness of Solomon’s son, Rehoboam. It is one of the ironies of the Bible that the wisest man on earth, Solomon, gave birth to the most foolish son, Rehoboam, on whose foolish decision the United Kingdom of Israel was divided. Jeroboam was a king, not a priest, but he built a caricature of the place of worship in Jerusalem in Bethel and Dan so that the people of Israel would not have to go to Judah to worship and thereby deflect back “and said unto them, It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem: behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt… and this thing became a sin: for the people went to worship before the one, even unto Dan. And he made an house of high places, and made priests of the lowest of the people, which were not of the sons of Levi” (1Ki 12:26-31).
As if building temple without the Ark of the Covenant which represented the Shekinah glory of God and Levis was not enough sin, King Jeroboam “made an house of high places, and made priests of the lowest of the people, which were not of the sons of Levi” (1Ki 12:31). He built a beautiful and functional temple and shopped for pastors to pastor it just as we see today. The Priests were contract pastors who must act, behave, talk, minister like their counterpart in Jerusalem, even though they were fake, or else they will be sacked or posted to another place. They were appointed but not anointed. They must demonstrate anointing not manifest it. They must do what the king (pastor-founder) approves who put them their to enforce his rulership. So, as many as could do like a pastor were appointed as a pastor, just in the same way that many behave like pastors today, because they have been appointed as pastors in their denomination. Underneath the pastor is the true seed which is being suppressed for the sake of the office, congregation and the head.
A spiritual censor of pastorship today will reveal only few Levites; those truly called and anointed by God, not those called by the G.O. situation, desire or even survival. The Jeroboamic Pastors are the professionals in a particular field, so as to attract a particular people and they have a better display of Charisma but less character.
THE GREAT SNARE
God had warned Israel and indeed every child of God to make sure that they put their offering and tithe in the place where He, the Lord has earmarked to dwell. If they could not get there, they should rather save it up till they could get to the place where He the Lord has chosen, even if it would take them years, for it is only in the temple at Jerusalem that he had chosen to be, any other places, no matter how beautiful or close by, God is not there, all offerings given in such places are a waste and would not be accepted by Him. Where do you do yours?
Only a few people can survive the charade and the masquerade of the priests of King Jeroboam. They are professional and friendly with irresistible practices; heavenly praise worship by wonderful choir, state of the art equipment, comfortable chairs, clerical robes, fine order of services, handsome and beautiful deacons, cozy atmosphere, decorated altars, fantastic ideas to raise funds, choreography group and to cap it all soul inspiring messages with notable miracles, signs and wonders. The true temple at Jerusalem never had it so good, no, not the varieties and activities that endear the heart of the people to such ‘good’ church. But alas, God is not there!
The temple became a great snare of irresistible compromise to all the kings that ever lived in Israel. An envy of even the Levites and a desire of the people in the true temple of Jerusalem who wished they had it as good as that of Jeroboam. Jesus told us of the deceit of this people especially in the last days that even the very elect will almost be deceived if not because the days were shortened, no flesh would have been saved (Mat.24:24).
Successive kings could not depart from that sin of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, which made Israel to sin for Jeroboam “rent Israel from the house of David; … and drave Israel from following the LORD, and made them sin a great sin” (2Ki 17:21). It was adopted as the ‘normal practice”, even the best kings like Asa and Jehoshaphat that ‘did right in the sight of the Lord’, for “… Asa's heart was perfect with the LORD all his days, but the high places were not removed (1Ki 15:14). Jehoshaphat “walked in all the ways of Asa his father; he turned not aside from it, doing that which was right in the eyes of the LORD: nevertheless the high places were not taken away; for the people offered and burnt incense yet in the high places (1Ki 22:43). Same with “Jehoram the son of Ahab… he put away the image of Baal that his father had made. Nevertheless he cleaved unto the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which made Israel to sin; he departed not there from” (2Ki 3:1-3). The same testimony was for all successive kings, none of them could depart from the sin of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin!
LOST FOREVER
By and by, the sincere people were cut off from giving God true worship, for they did so in a wrong place with wrong people who were not called of God, but appointed by the King, base people who were not Levites and so they were cut off from the true worship of God who dwelt in Jerusalem. Years later, they were taken captive and carried to far and strange lands by Assyria, who dispersed and integrated them all over his kingdom. The people became lost forever, up till this day. They are referred to as the lost tribes of the house of Israel!
The ten tribes of Israel were lost in God’s sight, before they were physically lost in the world! Although, the house of Judah too was taken captive several time, but each time, God preserved them and led them back to their land, because the true temple which contained the Ark of the Covenant was with them and God was in their temple. Christians must not be fooled by the present church system with its allure. The best message the priests of Jeroboam could preach was motivational, never revelational. They were not covenanted to know the laws, doctrines, mysteries of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. That is why most of the fast lane churches today are not bothered about holiness, sanctification, rapture and the like. Their focus is to please their Jeroboam; to be called a successful pastor and be used as example of success to other pastors. They have to learn innovations to preserve the people and preach messages to keep them coming. Unfortunately, they have the crowd that encourage them with their offerings, tithe to make them who they are; you are probably part of them.
Why didn’t God ‘help’ the ten tribes in times of their trouble and allowed them to be carried away and lost forever? He never heard their voice when they cried. They cried in the wrong place, to the wrong God through the wrong priests. If they cried aright, God would at least, for the sake of the priests, preserve some, but no one was preserved, not even one! Jeroboam had cut them away from the true God, though they sand inspirational praise worship, did crusade and there were miracles, healings, and prosperity. All these they thought was from God, just like many today think, but was not from Him. The time of dispersion will soon come for such churches today and their consolidated members, none will be left. Just as the people were lost forever, they too, will be lost forever, even he pastors, as Jesus will tell them: ‘I know you not, you workers of iniquity’. Cursed, is he or her, who is found in that number!
Although, Jeroboam was part of the old kingdom but revolted, broke away and carried the largest crowd away from the rightful successor to the throne of David, just like many pastors today bolt out of their church in rebellion to leadership, to begin their own church without recourse to spiritual laws. They become fatherless fathers, raising generations of bastards, relying on rituals instead of revelation, sharing miracles, strange healings and prosperity, instead of Jesus, living large on the ignorance of the followers to launder personal ambition and building institutions and empires to themselves with tithes and offerings of the innocent congregations who have mortgaged their destiny to the man, in the name of worshipping God, not knowing that the ark of the covenant is not there.
THE ABOMINATION OF THE GENERATIONS
The sin of Jeroboam not only made the Israel to sin, but also the church then and now. From Israel to Judah, to the time of Jesus, the early church, Constantine, dark ages, reformation, Protestants and even the Pentecostal and the Charismatic movements. It is the height of paganism and a cankerworm planted in every generation that has resisted deposition. It has become a normal institutional thing and practiced in our churches as a normal ‘church service’, not knowing that it is the reformed Altar of Jeroboam, with its golden calves, the high places and his priests who have strayed into the pulpits preaching ambitious messages in order to remain in business.
At that time of Jesus, the Golden Calf was the Law, the high places were the Temples and Tabernacles, while the Priests from the basest of the people who were not Levites where the Priests and the High Priests, etc. Like Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses in the Palace of Pharaoh, they withstood Jesus, the Christ. They denied and despised the rightful successor to the throne of David and appointed Priests to themselves to murder Him. The law was their God not revelation. They taught people in the strength of the law as the Saviour that brought them out of the land if Egypt and not Jesus, just like today’s Church preach miracles, breakthrough, prosperity, etc instead of preaching Jesus. They preach all other things that shall be added except the kingdom of God and its righteousness. They were represented in the Pharisees and other sects.
At early Church, though they were breaking bread from house to house and churches were being established in homes of people and they were having fellowship together according to the early church pattern and not according to the organized church setting inherited today from the Papal Rome, with many strange and pagan doctrines like that of Easter, Christmas, but the Golden Calf was still present with them, so also the high places and the priests from the basest of the people, who preach that Jesus was not all that was needed for salvation but other rituals like circumcision and Judaism too, people like Demas and Alexander (2Tim.4).
CONSTIANTINE
When Emperor Constantine had his radical and controversial conversion to Christianity, attributing the power of the cross of Christ to his victory, despite being the priest of Baal, the high places of the Altar of Jeroboam was present with them. Constantine declared Christianity as the State religion and the church became ‘catholic’ (universal), i.e. people from all religions
were Christianized, though they may continue with their idols, but must be in the church. The church then became mega and huge because of crowd just as we have today and they had to meet in civic halls, instead of houses of believers. Fellowship amongst brethren was ruined and the ‘Clergy - Laity’ divide set in. The priest of Baal took over the leadership of the church as Pastor and the ‘head’ of the church and would do all the ‘preaching’ without allowing people to participate in the fellowship as the pattern of the early church was.
The true church refused; knowing that salvation is not universal, but personal and would not attend the mega churches, but continued to meet secretly in houses of members until decree was issued to clamp them down and their massacre began. From then on, the ‘Church’ and its practices as we see today emerged, including the order of services which were never present before. The priest (of Baal) took over as Pastors and continued their Baal practices of the Son and Mother, the core object of Baal worship, who were coincidentally substituted with Jesus and Mary. Mary was never at any time in the history of the church a subject or object of worship, but the Queen of heaven and her son are the prime object in Baal worship.
Since the crowd in the new legalized (catholic) church never had personal encounter with Christ and never did they know about the Apostles’ Doctrines but were recognized only through their Confession of Faith, they accepted all that the priests of Baal told them from their exalted altar as the Gospel and the way of salvation, which was primarily belief and worship of the Queen of heaven and her son, called holy Mary and Jesus, the practice which has continued till today.
The universal (Catholic) worship continued from then, through the Dark Ages with the Priests of Baal who were celibates, called “Fathers” holding sway as the leaders of the church, the head of which is called the Pope who receive and accord to himself all the attributes of God and was declared infallible with the title “Vicarious Filii Dei”, meaning, in place of God. Thus, the abomination of Jeroboam, i.e. the golden calves that made Israel to sin continued. The true church and its doctrine were suppressed and true disciples were declared as heretics and murdered by the ‘church’, now governed by the priests of Baal. Some were burned at stake and others were fed to lions at the coliseum for the testimony of their faith and for refusing to bow down to the organized church system but remain in the true Apostolic Pattern of the Early Church.
THE REFORMATION
This catholic church pattern continued till the mid fifteenth century when people like Martin Luther and others like Knoxx, Calvin, Ulrich, etc who came in contact with the truth through some of the remnant of the generation of the true disciples who still met in hiding places. Then, the Reformation began. The Reformers, led by Martin Luther in brazen defiance of the Catholic Laws challenged Church with the truth of the Bible, declaring that the just shall live by faith not by the sacraments, penances and indulgences being sold by the church to earn salvation, forgiveness, etc. With his 95 thesis posted at the door of the church, The reformers, supported by the youth of that time who were only pursuing a political revolt pursued with vigour and zeal the doctrine of “the just shall live by faith” with their five beliefs, sola gracia, sola fidei, sola scriptura, sola Christos
But then, like in all other generations in the past, the high places of the Altar of Jerobaom survived the Reformation. Many Romish dogmas like indulgences and many other Papal beliefs were deposed, including the infallibility of the Pope, but infant baptism, sacrament, and the priesthood of the church (clergy - laity divide) became the Golden Calf of the Reformation, a sacred cow, presumably the cost was too much for the Reformers who may have ended up losing all, so, it was left alone. By and by, successive movements, Anglican, Methodist, Baptists who pulled out of previous movement completed a part of the reformation, but each of them left a part of the high place of the Golden Calf that made the church to sin.
TODAY’S CHURCH
The Church of today is the last of the church ages and the last beneficiary of the Golden Calf that made Israel to sin. The high places are still intact and more beautifully decorated now than ever. The appointed priests who are never Levites also are as many as can be imagined and have gained professionalism and expertise more than ever before.
The present churches are all offspring of the great mother-church, the universal (catholic) church, who, although have left the mother with all her harlotry, but still have the seed of her mother inside of her. While many have become Pentecostal and Charismatic and have done away with infant baptism and allowed the free move of the Holy Spirit, but the high places are still as exalted now as it was ever before! Her Priests are still appointed by Jeroboam from the same sect of people, temples is still in many Dans and Bethels, not in Jerusalem and the Golden Calf is still in the high place as exalted and not yet deposed.
The GOLDEN CALF: the Golden Calf is the object of Salvation, deliverance and worship. Jeroboam told the people just like Aaron did; behold your God O Israel; that brought you out of Egypt. The God of the deliverance and healing of people is encapsulated in the mantle and other forms of object as anointing oil, mantle various forms of formulas, concussion and preparations to bring bless, protect, prosper, heal, deliver and give the people breakthrough. Rituals have taken over and people are being led back to the traditional worship of speaking their desire to objects and laying it at the altar for the god of thunder to answer by fire. God is seen as being far away and cannot be spoken to, but you can speak to a key representing your car key and car will come, house will come and as long as you represent people with their photographs, you are speaking to their souls and they will do whatever you ask them to do, even kill them! Witchcraft!
Where is the place of relationship with God? The pastors have become the Secretary they have to pass through before they get to God. He represents their interests with God. People are not being introduced to the living God but the pastor and objects. Many Pastors are failing to introduce their congregation to Jesus but to the church system and commitment to denominational laws. They teach them commitment to the church not to Jesus. They foment head knowledge, not heart knowledge; information about God not formation in Christ. People know their pastor more than they know their Saviour.
THE HIGH PLACES: The high places are the temple built by Jeroboam in strategic places to be as near to the people as possible so that they would not have to seek the true God where He really is in Jerusalem. He built beautiful high places; one in Bethel and the other in Dan to capture the length and breadth of people from North to South. Beautiful Altars, Cathedrals, buildings and meeting places called churches where worldly praise worship are offered to a God not present in their high place; for God will not dwell in a place where his glory would be shared with any golden image.
We cannot sing the Lord’s song in a strange land. The offering may be good and excellent from a sincere heart, but if God is not there, who will accept the offering? There is truly fire in the service but strange fire, like that of Nadab and Abihu in Lev. 10:1! The strange testimonies of breakthrough, healing, miracles, etc will be challenged at the last days when they meet face to face with Jesus who tells them He never knew them for they are workers of iniquity not servants of the living God that their followers call them. How disappointed will the followers be? They too, will be lost from the presence of God as the followers of Jeroboam were lost forever in history. The high places that the priests stay to minister must be brought down. Brethren must sit together in fellowship to express the church. Different altars are being raised called Mountains of this and that (solutions, laughter, rejoicing, dancing, etc) where preparations of different water formulas and other concussion are given to victims to solve their problems within a given period of time.
THE PRIESTS: The priests from the basest of the people are the pastor-founders, pastors by seminary, theology and employment of the religious organization, appointed and posted to parishes to ensure physical, material and financial growth, not necessarily spiritual growth, as they themselves are only religious, not spiritual. Their growth and success will be measured by the crowd and offering they get year after year
Pastoral work today will readily pass the test of being one of the most lucrative professions in our society, which sadly continue to lose many experts and artisans in their field who are lured, deceived and deluded into accepting the fact that it is because they have not accepted The Call of God on their lives that their business is not prospering. Many bricklayers, carpenters, welders, plumbers, even okada riders are now Prophet-Founders, consultants on different problems, ranging from money to fertility, examinations, visa, babies, spouses, etc.
How many pastors have the spiritual maturity of Stephen today, let alone the Apostolic anointing of the disciples, yet Stephen was an ordinary member of the church before being called and that calling was to serve not to lead! It is obvious and clear that many who go by the title of Apostles, Bishops, etc are deluded and know nothing about the responsibility they burden themselves with. Even though, the disciples were Apostles by right, but they often hide under the comfort of being a bond servant of the Lord (2Pet.1:1; Jas.1:1; Jud.1:1; Tim.1:1).
I heard someone threatening to release a divine and everlasting curse through the anointing of the Holy Ghost fire and his calling on someone because the person made the mistake of calling him a Pastor instead of Bishop. Pastors who have no basic knowledge of the Bible, except those put in their head by their denominational Bible School, where teachings to enforce denominational commitment, membership, financial responsibility and administrative effectiveness are fostered. All they know is to explain what is read and throw it back to the people that they will also receive such blessings. No revelation of the scripture, no depth of the Spirit or insight into deep things of God. Every message is now prayer and people’s hands are always outstretched to receive the prophetic prayer of the baby general.
Just like a Russian General who visited Nigeria during the time of General Sanni Abacha was amazed to see baby generals in Nigerian army; those who never fought war in their lives, so also God would be amazed by many title holders today; those who barely enlisted in the army of God as recruits but now are General Officers Commanding, Bi(g)shops, and other terrible titles. Those not yet weaned from milk, toddlers in the faith, now appointing pastors to their church branches to bring returns of offering to the headquarters. The shallowness of their messages indicates that many of them are still supposed to be attending a Believers’ Class. Despite Paul’s dramatic conversion, he spent three years in Arabia learning the basic principles of Christ (Gal.1:7), and didn’t begin ministry until several years later, unlike many today, saved last year and bishop today, even Jesus did not start like that!
How can they teach the deep things of the kingdom when they didn’t know the basic truths of the kingdom? Messages about end time, rapture, tribulation, millennium reign, Armageddon, are completely lost on their altars. A pastor once confided in me that he never heard such message before until a member of his church asked him and he had to run helter-skelter to be able to explain what he never heard before, yet, pastoring almost 500 member congregation. He asked further: ‘how relevant is it to people’s breakthrough’?
An high place of the Altar of Jeroboam is near you! You are probably one of the priests that minister there, a member or worker. It is not about what you think is right, it’s about God’s standard and God will not lower His standard because of man’s ignorance. God warned Israel to destroy the high places of the nations they conquer, lest they end up serving them (Deut.12:2). As a child of God, if you are, will you depose the high places, burn the golden calf, sack the Priest and review the temple in your life or you will leave them like many others did?
“He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still. And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. (Rev 22:11-12).
“He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches (Rev 2:17). Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus” (Rev 22:20).
Most of our pulpits today can be likened to the altars in the Temple of the kings of Israel, where, just as we do in our churches today, quality worship, high praises, prophetic utterances of blessings, breakthrough and sermons of motivational and other exciting messages are released upon the people from the exalted altar by appointed priests. Upon this altar, gifts, sacrifices and offerings are also given to God through the priests in appreciation for the miracles, prosperity, etc they receive from Him.
Unfortunately, God was neither present nor received the offerings of the innocent people in the time of the Kings of Israel because while the temples were beautiful and adorned with costly sacrifices, they were built in wrong places where God did not and could not dwell, i.e. Dan and Bethel instead of Jerusalem. The Priests that ministered at the altars were not called by God from the tribe of Levi, but appointed by the king through personal benevolence and loyalty. The image at the raised altar was not the ark of the Covenant, but the Golden Calf which the priest presented to the people as the God which saved them from Egypt.
This have a very striking similarities with the church of today where worship centers spring up in every corner with pastors, not called by God, but appointed by the generosity and loyalty of the G.O’s or Pastor-Founder to attract people to their Bethel with wonderful programs and activities to make members of a man-founded church where strategies, logics and other human methods are used to instill religious fear and commitment to the founder who is busy laundering his ambitions and building personal empire for his generations to come through the unsuspecting gullibility of the congregants who could not discern the presence of God but miracles.
Many of such pastors are descendants of Jeroboam, whose only reason for building temple for the people is to make himself a successful king, not because he was called or loved the people. The barometer of their success is the crowd which is sustained by network of branches built in strategic places to capture people from Dan to Bethel and the people are maintained by the professional charisma of the priests and wonderful programs to make them forget the original temple in Jerusalem where God is.
Only a gene brings such perfect sequence or order of synchronization. Every fruit is known by its seed. A mango seed can only produce a mango fruit, so also a pawpaw seed. The seed of Satan can only reproduce him, just as it was with Cain. It is the seed that is in man that determines who the man really is. If the seed of the devil is in the man, people may call him a Pastor, but he is primarily the seed of the devil. We may call the descendants of the Priests of Baal in Jeroboam’s Temple and in our churches today Pastors, but they are who they are.
The Pharisees also claimed to be the Seed of Abraham, but it wasn’t difficult for Jesus to trace their true ancestry with accuracy: “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it” (Joh 8:44). So much like the end time church which says she is rich and increased in goods and have need of nothing, yet she is poor, naked, and does not know it (Rev.3:10)
It is a known fact that when people spend so much a time in a particular place, they tend to forget their true ancestry and identity, just like many believers have forgotten who they are on earth. We may have been long in the church system and even speak the language of the altar, we might be born to Christian parents and grow up learning the Bible; we might have even schooled to become a pastor with outstanding works of miracles, but the God of heaven who knows all secrets knows your true identity which may be hidden from man, but not with God.
There would be pleasant surprises in heaven at the last days! There would be unsung heroes and heroines! Many would be twisted to finally know that most of the people they call bishops on earth are never known in heaven and those who welcome them to heaven, if they ever make it, are the people they rightfully disdained, despised and unknown on earth!
It is rather surprising, if not confusing, that instead of encouraging the wicked to change from their wicked ways and also admonish the upright and the faithful to continue being faithful, Jesus rather said: “He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still. And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. (Rev 22:11-12). He is the God of Grace and mercy now, but soon, he will be the God of judgment.
This is not the time to pamper believers and offer bread and butter messages; of prosperity, breakthroughs, abundant blessings and make them feel good with prophetic words designed to warm themselves to the pocket of the hearers; it is time cryout with a loud voice to whoever would listen of the danger of the time we live in. The message at this hour is too urgent to pronounce blessings, but to invoke the warnings of dare consequences of the last days.
The Angel at Sodom and Gomorrah did not have the time to tell Lot, as the pastors of today are wont to, some stupid quotable quotes which originated from dead philosophers and are profusely quoted even more than the sacred words of Jesus in many altars today. The Angel did not tell him some words of wisdom, He did not ask him to speak some Positive confession or pronounce some prophetic words on himself; but to run as fast as his quacking legs could carry him and never look back to the judged Sodom! It was not time for Joseph to speak in tongues with Portiphar’s wife, but to run, not minding losing his robe. It’s better to lose your robe than to lose your soul. The time of judgment is a time to run for cover and survival: away from Sodom regardless of what to lose in terms of title, achievement, etc. What shall it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul (Mk.8:36). What is more important than your soul?
There would be great wonder and puzzlement on the faces of many Christians if God opened their eyes to see their so called Church! It will be so unbelievable they may call God a liar! “The church” has never been better than the temple and the altar never cleaner than that of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat who made Israel to sin! In the Old Testament, God took Ezekiel to see the secret things that are being done in the temple, not visible or known to innocent members and worshippers. All manner of sinful and abominable practices that made Ezekiel, even Prophet Ezekiel to go berserk! Jesus witnessed it too in the Temple in His day. He became so mad he almost lost it, yet his disciples couldn’t understand what his problem was; to them, that was the ideal temple they grew up to know and everything, to them was ‘normal’. Same with an average Christian today, to them, everything is normal in their church, but enough to drive Jesus mad!
Did Jesus succeed in driving those people out of the Temple? Not permanently, but He rather warned to come out of the system and be separate. You can’t change them, but you can run from them. God never called His children to go and change a system. Systems cannot be changed; you will end up being changed. That’s why each time a movement becomes organized and denominationalized, the Holy Spirit leaves to begin a new work. Although, most of the people that leave to begin a new work eventually fall to the same sin of the people they are running away from, sometimes even deeper. But it is better to run away from hell, than to have the mentality of changing people in hell. The message is still the same at this time. Judgment is imminent and the only way out is to run, for judgment must begin in the house of God.
The Bible says “For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape” (1Th 5:3). How many pastors would speak the mind of God to their congregation of sinful hearers every Sunday? They are afraid to lose them! ‘Cursed is he that calleth evil good, that is the tradition many pastors are used to when possessed with the spirit of Herod every Sunday, displaying grammar, rhetoric, poetic verses, rhymes and quotes. They prophesy lies on the expectant people who themselves, want to ear lies about the mind of God on their problem (1Tim.4:1). They tell the people about the love of God, but not about His wrath! At the resurrection morning, many people will curse those pastors that indulge their lackadaisical faith walk for the sake of the tithe and offering they will get from them. Judgment is approaching, the king is about to sit on the judgment sit: it’s time to be sober, not rejoice. Be sober, be vigilant.
This is not the time for Sunday celebrations and dancing orgies in the name of the Lord, it’s time to work out our salvation with fear and trembling (Ph.2:12), “knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed” (Rom 13:11)! It’s time to cry out like Moses who “stood in the gate of the camp, and said, who is on the LORD'S side? let him come unto me” (Exo 32:26). And as Joshua also cried out unto the people: “choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD” (Jos 24:15).
THE COMPROMISE
The priest appointed by God do compromise, let alone the priest appointed by man. God does not repose His confidence in His servants and with His angels He finds fault (Job 4:18). God never commit the revelation of any of His mysteries into the hands of even His own priests from history immemorial, but prophets, how much more priests that are not of God, only appointed by the benevolence of the General Overseers and Pastor-founder as a reward of their faithfulness and eye service.
From the four hundred years between the time of Prophet Malachi and John the Baptist, it was adjudged as God never spoke to Israel because there was no Prophet in the land, yet there were countless Priests. Before Prophet Samuel was born, the Bible say there was no teaching priest (prophet) in Israel and everyone did what was right in their own sight. “Where there is no vision, the people cast off restraints” (Prov.29:18. ASV). Yet, these prophets are not the type that we see today who are only seers, seeing only what happens to people but not what God is doing with His people, the church, the body of Christ. New Testament Prophets are concerned with the body, not individuals, providing clear leadership to the body, crying out to the apostate church as a watchman.
Only Priests of the tribe of Levites know the mind of God and only them could speak the mind of God to the people because they are the only tribe called by God to minister in the temple of Jerusalem. Priests of the Temple of Dan and Bethel were appointed by Jeroboam, the founder of the new Temple to ensure that people do not defect back to Jerusalem thereby losing his credibility. The gullible people from the ten tribes of Israel were sincerely deceived and were sincerely lost forever.
THE ALTAR
An altar is any structure or consecrated place in a sanctuary or shrine where sacred duties like offerings and sacrifices are offered to deities. In the olden days, such places are believed to be truly sacred and only the initiates, like the priests and worshipers of the deities are allowed to be there after observing certain rites or rituals.
The evil altar which survived every generations and even now was built by Jeroboam, the son of Nebat who inherited the ten tribes out of twelve tribes of Israel because of the foolishness of Solomon’s son, Rehoboam. It is one of the ironies of the Bible that the wisest man on earth, Solomon, gave birth to the most foolish son, Rehoboam, on whose foolish decision the United Kingdom of Israel was divided. Jeroboam was a king, not a priest, but he built a caricature of the place of worship in Jerusalem in Bethel and Dan so that the people of Israel would not have to go to Judah to worship and thereby deflect back “and said unto them, It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem: behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt… and this thing became a sin: for the people went to worship before the one, even unto Dan. And he made an house of high places, and made priests of the lowest of the people, which were not of the sons of Levi” (1Ki 12:26-31).
As if building temple without the Ark of the Covenant which represented the Shekinah glory of God and Levis was not enough sin, King Jeroboam “made an house of high places, and made priests of the lowest of the people, which were not of the sons of Levi” (1Ki 12:31). He built a beautiful and functional temple and shopped for pastors to pastor it just as we see today. The Priests were contract pastors who must act, behave, talk, minister like their counterpart in Jerusalem, even though they were fake, or else they will be sacked or posted to another place. They were appointed but not anointed. They must demonstrate anointing not manifest it. They must do what the king (pastor-founder) approves who put them their to enforce his rulership. So, as many as could do like a pastor were appointed as a pastor, just in the same way that many behave like pastors today, because they have been appointed as pastors in their denomination. Underneath the pastor is the true seed which is being suppressed for the sake of the office, congregation and the head.
A spiritual censor of pastorship today will reveal only few Levites; those truly called and anointed by God, not those called by the G.O. situation, desire or even survival. The Jeroboamic Pastors are the professionals in a particular field, so as to attract a particular people and they have a better display of Charisma but less character.
THE GREAT SNARE
God had warned Israel and indeed every child of God to make sure that they put their offering and tithe in the place where He, the Lord has earmarked to dwell. If they could not get there, they should rather save it up till they could get to the place where He the Lord has chosen, even if it would take them years, for it is only in the temple at Jerusalem that he had chosen to be, any other places, no matter how beautiful or close by, God is not there, all offerings given in such places are a waste and would not be accepted by Him. Where do you do yours?
Only a few people can survive the charade and the masquerade of the priests of King Jeroboam. They are professional and friendly with irresistible practices; heavenly praise worship by wonderful choir, state of the art equipment, comfortable chairs, clerical robes, fine order of services, handsome and beautiful deacons, cozy atmosphere, decorated altars, fantastic ideas to raise funds, choreography group and to cap it all soul inspiring messages with notable miracles, signs and wonders. The true temple at Jerusalem never had it so good, no, not the varieties and activities that endear the heart of the people to such ‘good’ church. But alas, God is not there!
The temple became a great snare of irresistible compromise to all the kings that ever lived in Israel. An envy of even the Levites and a desire of the people in the true temple of Jerusalem who wished they had it as good as that of Jeroboam. Jesus told us of the deceit of this people especially in the last days that even the very elect will almost be deceived if not because the days were shortened, no flesh would have been saved (Mat.24:24).
Successive kings could not depart from that sin of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, which made Israel to sin for Jeroboam “rent Israel from the house of David; … and drave Israel from following the LORD, and made them sin a great sin” (2Ki 17:21). It was adopted as the ‘normal practice”, even the best kings like Asa and Jehoshaphat that ‘did right in the sight of the Lord’, for “… Asa's heart was perfect with the LORD all his days, but the high places were not removed (1Ki 15:14). Jehoshaphat “walked in all the ways of Asa his father; he turned not aside from it, doing that which was right in the eyes of the LORD: nevertheless the high places were not taken away; for the people offered and burnt incense yet in the high places (1Ki 22:43). Same with “Jehoram the son of Ahab… he put away the image of Baal that his father had made. Nevertheless he cleaved unto the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which made Israel to sin; he departed not there from” (2Ki 3:1-3). The same testimony was for all successive kings, none of them could depart from the sin of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin!
LOST FOREVER
By and by, the sincere people were cut off from giving God true worship, for they did so in a wrong place with wrong people who were not called of God, but appointed by the King, base people who were not Levites and so they were cut off from the true worship of God who dwelt in Jerusalem. Years later, they were taken captive and carried to far and strange lands by Assyria, who dispersed and integrated them all over his kingdom. The people became lost forever, up till this day. They are referred to as the lost tribes of the house of Israel!
The ten tribes of Israel were lost in God’s sight, before they were physically lost in the world! Although, the house of Judah too was taken captive several time, but each time, God preserved them and led them back to their land, because the true temple which contained the Ark of the Covenant was with them and God was in their temple. Christians must not be fooled by the present church system with its allure. The best message the priests of Jeroboam could preach was motivational, never revelational. They were not covenanted to know the laws, doctrines, mysteries of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. That is why most of the fast lane churches today are not bothered about holiness, sanctification, rapture and the like. Their focus is to please their Jeroboam; to be called a successful pastor and be used as example of success to other pastors. They have to learn innovations to preserve the people and preach messages to keep them coming. Unfortunately, they have the crowd that encourage them with their offerings, tithe to make them who they are; you are probably part of them.
Why didn’t God ‘help’ the ten tribes in times of their trouble and allowed them to be carried away and lost forever? He never heard their voice when they cried. They cried in the wrong place, to the wrong God through the wrong priests. If they cried aright, God would at least, for the sake of the priests, preserve some, but no one was preserved, not even one! Jeroboam had cut them away from the true God, though they sand inspirational praise worship, did crusade and there were miracles, healings, and prosperity. All these they thought was from God, just like many today think, but was not from Him. The time of dispersion will soon come for such churches today and their consolidated members, none will be left. Just as the people were lost forever, they too, will be lost forever, even he pastors, as Jesus will tell them: ‘I know you not, you workers of iniquity’. Cursed, is he or her, who is found in that number!
Although, Jeroboam was part of the old kingdom but revolted, broke away and carried the largest crowd away from the rightful successor to the throne of David, just like many pastors today bolt out of their church in rebellion to leadership, to begin their own church without recourse to spiritual laws. They become fatherless fathers, raising generations of bastards, relying on rituals instead of revelation, sharing miracles, strange healings and prosperity, instead of Jesus, living large on the ignorance of the followers to launder personal ambition and building institutions and empires to themselves with tithes and offerings of the innocent congregations who have mortgaged their destiny to the man, in the name of worshipping God, not knowing that the ark of the covenant is not there.
THE ABOMINATION OF THE GENERATIONS
The sin of Jeroboam not only made the Israel to sin, but also the church then and now. From Israel to Judah, to the time of Jesus, the early church, Constantine, dark ages, reformation, Protestants and even the Pentecostal and the Charismatic movements. It is the height of paganism and a cankerworm planted in every generation that has resisted deposition. It has become a normal institutional thing and practiced in our churches as a normal ‘church service’, not knowing that it is the reformed Altar of Jeroboam, with its golden calves, the high places and his priests who have strayed into the pulpits preaching ambitious messages in order to remain in business.
At that time of Jesus, the Golden Calf was the Law, the high places were the Temples and Tabernacles, while the Priests from the basest of the people who were not Levites where the Priests and the High Priests, etc. Like Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses in the Palace of Pharaoh, they withstood Jesus, the Christ. They denied and despised the rightful successor to the throne of David and appointed Priests to themselves to murder Him. The law was their God not revelation. They taught people in the strength of the law as the Saviour that brought them out of the land if Egypt and not Jesus, just like today’s Church preach miracles, breakthrough, prosperity, etc instead of preaching Jesus. They preach all other things that shall be added except the kingdom of God and its righteousness. They were represented in the Pharisees and other sects.
At early Church, though they were breaking bread from house to house and churches were being established in homes of people and they were having fellowship together according to the early church pattern and not according to the organized church setting inherited today from the Papal Rome, with many strange and pagan doctrines like that of Easter, Christmas, but the Golden Calf was still present with them, so also the high places and the priests from the basest of the people, who preach that Jesus was not all that was needed for salvation but other rituals like circumcision and Judaism too, people like Demas and Alexander (2Tim.4).
CONSTIANTINE
When Emperor Constantine had his radical and controversial conversion to Christianity, attributing the power of the cross of Christ to his victory, despite being the priest of Baal, the high places of the Altar of Jeroboam was present with them. Constantine declared Christianity as the State religion and the church became ‘catholic’ (universal), i.e. people from all religions
were Christianized, though they may continue with their idols, but must be in the church. The church then became mega and huge because of crowd just as we have today and they had to meet in civic halls, instead of houses of believers. Fellowship amongst brethren was ruined and the ‘Clergy - Laity’ divide set in. The priest of Baal took over the leadership of the church as Pastor and the ‘head’ of the church and would do all the ‘preaching’ without allowing people to participate in the fellowship as the pattern of the early church was.
The true church refused; knowing that salvation is not universal, but personal and would not attend the mega churches, but continued to meet secretly in houses of members until decree was issued to clamp them down and their massacre began. From then on, the ‘Church’ and its practices as we see today emerged, including the order of services which were never present before. The priest (of Baal) took over as Pastors and continued their Baal practices of the Son and Mother, the core object of Baal worship, who were coincidentally substituted with Jesus and Mary. Mary was never at any time in the history of the church a subject or object of worship, but the Queen of heaven and her son are the prime object in Baal worship.
Since the crowd in the new legalized (catholic) church never had personal encounter with Christ and never did they know about the Apostles’ Doctrines but were recognized only through their Confession of Faith, they accepted all that the priests of Baal told them from their exalted altar as the Gospel and the way of salvation, which was primarily belief and worship of the Queen of heaven and her son, called holy Mary and Jesus, the practice which has continued till today.
The universal (Catholic) worship continued from then, through the Dark Ages with the Priests of Baal who were celibates, called “Fathers” holding sway as the leaders of the church, the head of which is called the Pope who receive and accord to himself all the attributes of God and was declared infallible with the title “Vicarious Filii Dei”, meaning, in place of God. Thus, the abomination of Jeroboam, i.e. the golden calves that made Israel to sin continued. The true church and its doctrine were suppressed and true disciples were declared as heretics and murdered by the ‘church’, now governed by the priests of Baal. Some were burned at stake and others were fed to lions at the coliseum for the testimony of their faith and for refusing to bow down to the organized church system but remain in the true Apostolic Pattern of the Early Church.
THE REFORMATION
This catholic church pattern continued till the mid fifteenth century when people like Martin Luther and others like Knoxx, Calvin, Ulrich, etc who came in contact with the truth through some of the remnant of the generation of the true disciples who still met in hiding places. Then, the Reformation began. The Reformers, led by Martin Luther in brazen defiance of the Catholic Laws challenged Church with the truth of the Bible, declaring that the just shall live by faith not by the sacraments, penances and indulgences being sold by the church to earn salvation, forgiveness, etc. With his 95 thesis posted at the door of the church, The reformers, supported by the youth of that time who were only pursuing a political revolt pursued with vigour and zeal the doctrine of “the just shall live by faith” with their five beliefs, sola gracia, sola fidei, sola scriptura, sola Christos
But then, like in all other generations in the past, the high places of the Altar of Jerobaom survived the Reformation. Many Romish dogmas like indulgences and many other Papal beliefs were deposed, including the infallibility of the Pope, but infant baptism, sacrament, and the priesthood of the church (clergy - laity divide) became the Golden Calf of the Reformation, a sacred cow, presumably the cost was too much for the Reformers who may have ended up losing all, so, it was left alone. By and by, successive movements, Anglican, Methodist, Baptists who pulled out of previous movement completed a part of the reformation, but each of them left a part of the high place of the Golden Calf that made the church to sin.
TODAY’S CHURCH
The Church of today is the last of the church ages and the last beneficiary of the Golden Calf that made Israel to sin. The high places are still intact and more beautifully decorated now than ever. The appointed priests who are never Levites also are as many as can be imagined and have gained professionalism and expertise more than ever before.
The present churches are all offspring of the great mother-church, the universal (catholic) church, who, although have left the mother with all her harlotry, but still have the seed of her mother inside of her. While many have become Pentecostal and Charismatic and have done away with infant baptism and allowed the free move of the Holy Spirit, but the high places are still as exalted now as it was ever before! Her Priests are still appointed by Jeroboam from the same sect of people, temples is still in many Dans and Bethels, not in Jerusalem and the Golden Calf is still in the high place as exalted and not yet deposed.
The GOLDEN CALF: the Golden Calf is the object of Salvation, deliverance and worship. Jeroboam told the people just like Aaron did; behold your God O Israel; that brought you out of Egypt. The God of the deliverance and healing of people is encapsulated in the mantle and other forms of object as anointing oil, mantle various forms of formulas, concussion and preparations to bring bless, protect, prosper, heal, deliver and give the people breakthrough. Rituals have taken over and people are being led back to the traditional worship of speaking their desire to objects and laying it at the altar for the god of thunder to answer by fire. God is seen as being far away and cannot be spoken to, but you can speak to a key representing your car key and car will come, house will come and as long as you represent people with their photographs, you are speaking to their souls and they will do whatever you ask them to do, even kill them! Witchcraft!
Where is the place of relationship with God? The pastors have become the Secretary they have to pass through before they get to God. He represents their interests with God. People are not being introduced to the living God but the pastor and objects. Many Pastors are failing to introduce their congregation to Jesus but to the church system and commitment to denominational laws. They teach them commitment to the church not to Jesus. They foment head knowledge, not heart knowledge; information about God not formation in Christ. People know their pastor more than they know their Saviour.
THE HIGH PLACES: The high places are the temple built by Jeroboam in strategic places to be as near to the people as possible so that they would not have to seek the true God where He really is in Jerusalem. He built beautiful high places; one in Bethel and the other in Dan to capture the length and breadth of people from North to South. Beautiful Altars, Cathedrals, buildings and meeting places called churches where worldly praise worship are offered to a God not present in their high place; for God will not dwell in a place where his glory would be shared with any golden image.
We cannot sing the Lord’s song in a strange land. The offering may be good and excellent from a sincere heart, but if God is not there, who will accept the offering? There is truly fire in the service but strange fire, like that of Nadab and Abihu in Lev. 10:1! The strange testimonies of breakthrough, healing, miracles, etc will be challenged at the last days when they meet face to face with Jesus who tells them He never knew them for they are workers of iniquity not servants of the living God that their followers call them. How disappointed will the followers be? They too, will be lost from the presence of God as the followers of Jeroboam were lost forever in history. The high places that the priests stay to minister must be brought down. Brethren must sit together in fellowship to express the church. Different altars are being raised called Mountains of this and that (solutions, laughter, rejoicing, dancing, etc) where preparations of different water formulas and other concussion are given to victims to solve their problems within a given period of time.
THE PRIESTS: The priests from the basest of the people are the pastor-founders, pastors by seminary, theology and employment of the religious organization, appointed and posted to parishes to ensure physical, material and financial growth, not necessarily spiritual growth, as they themselves are only religious, not spiritual. Their growth and success will be measured by the crowd and offering they get year after year
Pastoral work today will readily pass the test of being one of the most lucrative professions in our society, which sadly continue to lose many experts and artisans in their field who are lured, deceived and deluded into accepting the fact that it is because they have not accepted The Call of God on their lives that their business is not prospering. Many bricklayers, carpenters, welders, plumbers, even okada riders are now Prophet-Founders, consultants on different problems, ranging from money to fertility, examinations, visa, babies, spouses, etc.
How many pastors have the spiritual maturity of Stephen today, let alone the Apostolic anointing of the disciples, yet Stephen was an ordinary member of the church before being called and that calling was to serve not to lead! It is obvious and clear that many who go by the title of Apostles, Bishops, etc are deluded and know nothing about the responsibility they burden themselves with. Even though, the disciples were Apostles by right, but they often hide under the comfort of being a bond servant of the Lord (2Pet.1:1; Jas.1:1; Jud.1:1; Tim.1:1).
I heard someone threatening to release a divine and everlasting curse through the anointing of the Holy Ghost fire and his calling on someone because the person made the mistake of calling him a Pastor instead of Bishop. Pastors who have no basic knowledge of the Bible, except those put in their head by their denominational Bible School, where teachings to enforce denominational commitment, membership, financial responsibility and administrative effectiveness are fostered. All they know is to explain what is read and throw it back to the people that they will also receive such blessings. No revelation of the scripture, no depth of the Spirit or insight into deep things of God. Every message is now prayer and people’s hands are always outstretched to receive the prophetic prayer of the baby general.
Just like a Russian General who visited Nigeria during the time of General Sanni Abacha was amazed to see baby generals in Nigerian army; those who never fought war in their lives, so also God would be amazed by many title holders today; those who barely enlisted in the army of God as recruits but now are General Officers Commanding, Bi(g)shops, and other terrible titles. Those not yet weaned from milk, toddlers in the faith, now appointing pastors to their church branches to bring returns of offering to the headquarters. The shallowness of their messages indicates that many of them are still supposed to be attending a Believers’ Class. Despite Paul’s dramatic conversion, he spent three years in Arabia learning the basic principles of Christ (Gal.1:7), and didn’t begin ministry until several years later, unlike many today, saved last year and bishop today, even Jesus did not start like that!
How can they teach the deep things of the kingdom when they didn’t know the basic truths of the kingdom? Messages about end time, rapture, tribulation, millennium reign, Armageddon, are completely lost on their altars. A pastor once confided in me that he never heard such message before until a member of his church asked him and he had to run helter-skelter to be able to explain what he never heard before, yet, pastoring almost 500 member congregation. He asked further: ‘how relevant is it to people’s breakthrough’?
An high place of the Altar of Jeroboam is near you! You are probably one of the priests that minister there, a member or worker. It is not about what you think is right, it’s about God’s standard and God will not lower His standard because of man’s ignorance. God warned Israel to destroy the high places of the nations they conquer, lest they end up serving them (Deut.12:2). As a child of God, if you are, will you depose the high places, burn the golden calf, sack the Priest and review the temple in your life or you will leave them like many others did?
“He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still. And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. (Rev 22:11-12).
“He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches (Rev 2:17). Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus” (Rev 22:20).