The New Breed concept is connected to many other doctrines which are heretical. It comes as a package deal, even though the various doctrines are often introduced one at a time to the people in the pews. The New Breed concept can only be understood in the context of these other doctrines, which radically re-define traditional eschatology, ecclesiology and soteriology.
The Manifest Sons of God cult (Latter Rain) teaches that “the Church is Christ in the sense that Jesus is the head, and the Church is the body. The Second Coming of Christ, therefore, is through the Church, not Jesus returning in the flesh; we should not wait for Him to return in order to set the world in order, but we are to take His authority over the world and the spiritual realm now.” (Dager, ibid, p. 148) [emphasis added]
This cult teaches that the Church will become Christ corporately and individually. Mike Bickle (from the Kansas City Fellowship speaking at a Vineyard Conference in 1989) said, “Christ is the Alpha and we are the Omega.” This heresy teaches that the Church is the ongoing incarnation of Jesus Christ. A Discernment Ministries newsletter from July 1990 states, “This is the cornerstone of Manifest Sons teaching. . . . we become EQUAL TO and EVEN ASSUME the ROLE OF JESUS CHRIST — THE GODMEN!” This same newsletter quotes from Earl Paulk, one of the leaders of this movement who has articulated this heretical doctrine:
“The completion of the incarnation of God in the world must be in His Church. . . . Jesus Christ is the fruitfruit, but without the ongoing harvest, the incarnation will never be complete. . . . “
“We are on earth as extensions of God to finish the work He began. We are the essence of God, His on-going incarnation in the world.”
This doctrine of incarnation is linked to the idea of dominionism. This point is succinctly summarized by researcher Mike Oppenheimer in a series of website reports on the history and doctrines of Latter Rain:
“Some believe that the second coming of Jesus is to be ‘in the Church,’ before he comes for the Church. That the Church, his body will actually become Christ on earth, glorious and triumphant. They will go conquer the land and then rule the nations with a rod of iron. Some believe that after the Church has taken dominion over the nations, she will hasten the day that will call Jesus back to earth and hand the nations over to Him.” (http://www.letusreason.org/Latrain1.htm)
In the May/June 2005 Discernment Ministries newsletter http://www.discernment-ministries.org/NLMayJune_2005.htm, another heretical doctrine from this cult is explained:
“Latter Rain also teaches that Satan was not defeated at the cross when Jesus shed His blood for our sins. Part of the Latter Rain kingdom ‘mandate’ is to defeat Satan, however that comes to be defined. Rebecca Greenwood, who serves as executive assistant to C. Peter and Doris Wagner at Global Harvest Ministries in Colorado Springs, has written a new book entitled Authority to Tread: An Intercessor’s Guide to Strategic-Level Spiritual Warfare. In a review of her book, C. Peter Wagner states the Latter Rain heresy that Jesus’ work was not finished on the cross. Jesus ‘has delegated His Church to continue the [war against Satan] by spreading the Gospel of the Kingdom to all the peoples of the earth.’ According to this doctrine, when the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples (at Pentecost) Jesus ‘gave them a command to make disciples of all nations. He authorized them to use His name and to move against the enemy in His kingly authority. What does this mean? It means that the war to continue pushing Satan and his wicked forces back by the Gospel of the Kingdom of God is now in the hands of the Church, the people of God. In other words, we as the Church are at war!’ (http://www.elijahlist.com/words/display_word_pf.html?ID=3027)”
The Latter Rain cult teaches that apostolic and prophetic leaders will “birth” an end-time Church of “overcomers” and that these “New Breed” leaders will be raised up as “GODMEN.” This “New Breed” will be endowed with the authority to be spokesmen for God and their authority and teaching cannot be questioned. This is the Ephesians 4 “mandate” that Rick Joyner mentioned in the second quote at the beginning of this post. This Ephesians 4 “mandate” teaches that an apostolic structure must be built on Earth to rule the nations. That is why a “New Breed” of leaders is so essential.
This cult also teaches the perfection, immortality and glorification of the elect (Joel’s Army, Manifest Sons of God, New Breed). It teaches an evolutionary view of the Church, that the Bride of Christ can mature on Earth and perfect herself, overcoming death and bypassing Judgment Day by achieving “unity” and “apostolic” transformation/dominion. Scriptures that reference Christ and His return in the last day are twisted and applied to the Church. Rick Joyner, in the same post cited above, said:
“The Lord is coming. Before the end the Lord will have a bride who is so passionately in love with Him that she will make herself ready. Like the bride who so loves her bridegroom that she is determined for her dress be without a spot or wrinkle, the bride of Christ is about to return to her first love.”
[A more complete discussion of these New Breed beliefs can be found at http://www.discernment-ministries.org/NL_July1990.pdf and other archived newsletters. A thorough examination of this cult, its history and leaders, can be found in Al Dager’s excellent book Vengeance Is Ours: The Church In Dominion (Sword, 1990). See also http://www.deceptioninthechurch.com for detailed information about how these cult doctrines have now become part of evangelical mainstream via the New Apostolic Reformation.]
The Truth:
It is good to compare the words of 2 Peter chapter 3 to the heresies presented above.
This chapter, talking about “last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, and saying, Where is the promise of his coming. . . ,” concludes with these verses:
“As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction. Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness. But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.” (2 Peter 3:16-18)
Revelations 6:11a, 7:13-15, and 19:8 refute the heresy that the Bride can clothe herself or perfect herself on Earth. The robes of the Bride will only be clean and white because of the shed blood of Jesus Christ on the cross for our sins! This clothing does not take place on Earth by earthly activities, but is granted to believers in Heaven.
“And white robes were given unto every one of them;. . . And one of the elders answered saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
“Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of the saints.”
[An encouraging post refuting these eschatological heresies can be found at NewsWithViews today by Paul Proctor entitled, “The Rapture is Coming — Believe it or Not” at http://tinyurl.com/7ffq8]