To understand William Irvine's experiment and this legacy of his that lives to this very day, you MUST educate yourself in GNOSTICISM
.
Gnosticism has a chameleon-like ability to appear like the genuine article, true Christianity, and thus has managed to transform itself to fit the times in countless new wrappings over the centuries. It particularly adapts itself to that place where the ideas of the east and west meet. Whenever eastern mysticism and western rationalism collide, one can find there, the seedbed for a pseudo-Gospel that mimics the real thing.
Gnosticism is fool's gold, shiny and beckoning on the surface, yet phony. Modern Saints are poorly equipped to recognize the counterfeit. Much Gnosticism enters the Church via the popular Christian media, where the real and the false get mixed up in a garbled soup of doctrines and teachings.
"Mysticism: The timeless quest for higher/hidden truth, spiritual experiences and knowledge of God by using imagination, intuition, so-called 'Holy Spirit revelations' and subjective feelings rather than fact, reason and the undistorted Word of God."
The New Gnosticism - Is It The Age of the Spirit or The Spirit of the Age?
By Michael S. Horton
A Quote From The Above Website:
"Christianity's cardinal belief in salvation by God becoming flesh, and by his fleshly resurrection promising resurrection of our bodies, was anathema to Gnosticism, as it was foolishness to Greeks who generally saw spirit as good, and matter as evil."
The Bible clearly affirms that what is done with the body is directly related to the soul.
Christianity is incompatible with a Gnosticism that divides the body and soul so that sexual behavior and character can be separated.
The Gnostic Jesus, a Gnostic Christianity
See the similarities between Gnosticism and 2x2ism below.
Here are some Worker Quotations
-
“God created the world but His re creation is more important. We don’t praise God for creation because that is the natural, carnal world.”
-
“God doesn’t care about natural things, only spiritual things.”
-
“We view scripture from a spiritual standpoint, not in the natural sense.”
-
“God gave us minds and then asked us not to use them.”
-
“Salvation is through death to self and obedience to the workers. We are not saved because of what we believe but because we have the spirit. We must die to the world and to self as Jesus did if we want to be saved.”
-
“The Holy Spirit is a force or energy from God. The Holy Spirit is not God.”
-
“Jesus was just a man. He was not God. We do not worship Jesus. He refused to be worshipped. He is our example of how to die to self.”
-
“Grace is God’s help in time of need.”
-
“Trust in the Blood of Jesus isn’t enough to save us. It takes more than that!”
-
“It was a waste of time for Mother Teresa to help the poor. We don’t have time to serve God and help the poor. Jesus said, ‘the poor you will have with you always.’”
-
“Only the workers have their natural needs met by God. God only answers prayers for spiritual things.”
-
“Forgiveness is only for the past, not the present or the future.”
-
“We must be faithful until death.”
-
“We don’t believe in scriptural education. It is revelation that saves.”
-
“We must attend every meeting because we must put God first before anything else.”
-
“What if Jesus came back while we were swimming on Sunday?!”
-
“Mammon is evil. God isn’t interested in our money. We do not believe in tithing! God owns the cattle on a thousand hills! What would He want with money?”
-
“We don’t take collections or believe in tithing. Our apostles don’t have an income, so they don’t pay income tax.”
-
“The Old Testament doesn’t have any life in it.”
-
“We have no published doctrine or statement of faith. The letter killeth.”
-
“Justification and sanctification means being separate from the world.”
-
“Sin isn’t as serious as false religion. Sin is from the flesh. False religion is from Satan. People who call themselves Christian are following the devil.”
-
“God didn’t tell us to celebrate Christ’s birth or resurrection. We don’t use the cross as a symbol. It is like a gun.”
-
“God will punish anyone who disagrees with His chosen ministry or who leaves the Truth.”
-
“Praise God and hallelujah are empty words. True worship is obedience.”
-
“God’s people are the only ones on earth who are truly obedient and who follow the example of Christ.”
-
“Jesus was the man and the Christ was the spirit that inhabited his body.”
-
“The Christ dwells in all those who follow the example of Jesus by dying to self and by preaching the Gospel without cost and without a home.”
-
“Church buildings are evil, synagogues of Satan!”
-
“God never told us to build churches.”
-
“God’s people must meet in homes as the apostles did.”
-
“Christ sent His disciples out two and two. That is the sign of true apostles. Every other preacher is from Satan.”
-
“The word Trinity is not in the Bible! That is a Catholic doctrine!”
-
“We have no written rules, but the standard from heaven lives among us. If people aren’t willing for that standard, then they have no part with us!”
-
“Women of God must not cut their hair, wear make up, jewelry or worldly clothing!”
-
“The apostles speak for God. If you aren’t willing for their words or decisions then you have lost out and are cast into outer darkness.”
-
“Fellowship meetings and Bible studies are not open to the public. Outsiders can come to the Gospel Meetings.”
-
“We do not have a name for our fellowship. We only accept the Name of Jesus.”
The above statements are from the Two by Two cult we were born and raised in, a very large group of people that lives quietly and secretively all around you. They masquerade as Christians but mock Christian beliefs and activities. They look like humble, harmless, quiet, modest people. Yet, their demeanor hides a sinister, abusive fellowship, sexual deviancy, immorality, dysfunctional families and many miserable marriages.
How can a group that reads the Bible and spends so much time attending meetings be so unbiblical and disobedient to God?
It is because they do not view God, themselves, the world or scripture in a literal fashion, but in an allegorical, metaphorical sense.
They reverse biblical instructions by “spiritualizing” them.
They believe material matter (flesh) is bad and the spirit is good. Truth is only known by revelation or exclusive knowledge imparted by their preachers, the workers. The spirit is caught, sort of like a germ by association with the workers. The average member cannot impart the spirit to someone else. Gnosticism is subtle and hard to detect unless you understand their worldview. It is a lethal killer of kindness, love or mercy. Gnosticism comes between family members, husbands, wives, friends, parents and children. It makes salvation almost impossible because one can rarely understand the true gospel of redemption through faith in Jesus Christ. It prevents worship and praise of God, obedience to God and knowledge of who Jesus is. It results in worship and fear of men.
People who become dissatisfied by the ignorant leadership and repetitive messages find that they have a difficult time trying to leave the group. Most people are held in by fear. The workers inculcate fear, guilt and intimidation among their followers. Most people continue to believe the workers’ lies long after they leave the workers.
2 Peter 2 and 3; 2 Timothy and Jude give a descriptive list of the characteristics of false teachers:
False teachers teach secret heresies, they twist scripture to deceive people into allowing them to invade their lives, they are greedy, they want status without work or education, they exploit people with false words and flattery, they are unprincipled and immoral, they have corrupt desires (homosexual, pedophiles, adulterous) they indulge their desires, they despise scriptural authority and mock those who study scripture and understand theology, they do not revere or worship God, they are self willed, reckless, they take advantage of foolish women and widows, they scoff at true believers, they pretend to be righteous and humble, they are emotionally and spiritually unstable, they are uncharitable, do not care for the needs of the helpless, perishing or aged. All attention and money must be given to them or to promote their lifestyle. They will reject and disfellowship anyone who asks too many doctrinal questions.
Some people are afraid of parental disapproval and rejection, others are afraid of the disapproval of workers and friends, while many are afraid of God. God has been portrayed as the Policeman in the Sky who is just waiting to smack anyone who dares to question the workers or looks outside of their fellowship for biblical instruction.
The truth is that God wants everyone to know Him and understand His Word. He wants the world to know truth. He is not going to harm or discipline people for trying to understand His Word.
Professing people are typically unable to understand scripture well enough to examine doctrinal information.
They have been trained in repeating and believing workers’ illogical statements.
Read the workers’ quotations. What do they mean by what they say? Don’t let them control you with vague threats. Don’t allow them to dictate what Biblical information you look at. Looking at information does not constitute a decision one way or another. Looking at historical and biblical information is NOT the same as eating “poison.” The workers are well known for warning people against “poison.”
The workers are the distributors of poison, not those who are trying to warn people about their beliefs.
Asking questions is not lack of faith, it is a desire to understand faith.
Unbelief in Jesus Christ as God and His sacrifice as the payment for one’s sins is lack of faith.
