The Subtlety Of PRIDE
Church hierarchy,
ministry leaders, missionaries, church workers and ministers of the Gospel
are all prone to a disease. It is no respecter of persons. Pride can be so
subtle, yet so pernicious!
I need to share with you
about a most important subject. If you are a church worker, this matter will
be doubly vital, because it will determine the outcome of all that you are
working for.
Paul wrote:
We are God’s fellow-workers; you are God’s
field, God’s building (1 Cor 3:9, NIV).
...Each one should be
careful HOW he builds, for no-one can lay any foundation other than the one
already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If any man builds on this foundation
using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be
shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be
revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work.
If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned
up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as
one escaping through the flames (1 Cor
3:10-15,
NIV).
Do you comprehend what Paul
meant? Do you realise that much of what evangelists, pastors, preachers, and
some self-acclaimed ‘prophets’ and ‘apostles’ are building is going to be
burned up in the fires of the Tribulation just around the corner? Why?
Because it’s not of God.
Paul was talking about
building the right spiritual fruit; about producing godly character that God
can co-exist with, live with and love, because it’s like He is. All efforts
towards building that good spiritual result are likened to gold, silver,
precious stones or jewels. But all efforts that encourage the wrong kind of
fruit or results in people are the wood, hay and straw, which have no
lasting value.
Do you know what those
wrong results are centred around; what is their root and from where they
derive their sap? And why this matter is so crucial? Paul explains:
Don’t you know that you are God’s temple and that God’s
Spirit lives in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him
(1 Cor
3:16,17,
NIV).
Those are strong words!!
What is it that brings God’s destruction upon such church work?
In
one word: pride! Notice:
Do not deceive yourselves.
If anyone of you thinks he is wise... (1 Cor 3:18, NIV).
You can read for yourself
the rest of what Paul said.
Of course, pride is not the
only destructive factor in character. There are other traits that God
condemns. But pride is such an insidious enemy. It often goes totally
unseen, so there are times when it has to be revealed.
The
Sweet Poison of Pride
Such was the case in the
account I am about to repeat here. It was written to an accomplished church
pastor after God brought him to contact us. God moved him to see our web
page, and he wrote asking for our prayers for deliverance in his family. He
probably figured that those who have God’s power to raise the dead must also
have power to put demons out, and he had high hopes that he could receive a
‘quick fix’.
But quick fixes are not
possible where there is pride. That root of evil allows the devil a foothold
in your life, to torment you and cause all sorts of trouble.
When you can be truly
humbled and your heart turned around fully towards God and not self (self is
the idol which pride protects), God comes in immediately by His Spirit (Is
57:15; 66:1,2).
But that process of change
is not easy, and the more accomplished you are in church circles the more
difficult it is to accept. The human heart does not want to admit it is
wrong. So, it is not surprising that my words to help this man were resisted
and rejected. Like Job, he justified himself.
It was then that God spoke
to another person to act as a second witness. In this instance it was Mila
Thompson (Midnight In America). She wrote to help this dear man see
what was holding him back. Her letter was an excellent précis of the
subtlety of pride, so I reprint it here. I am sure it will help you and many
others to see how evil but also how pervasive this sweet poison is. It ruins
many a church leader and his work!
Dear Xxxxx,
My name is Mila
Thompson. You don’t know me, but I am a child of God, and that makes us a
family. I have been burdened for you lately. My husband Steve and I have
prayed for you several times in the past week or so. As you understand,
Malcolm has shared with us your story and your cry for help. I hope it is OK
with you. It was done in love and good faith.
This morning I was moved
by the Spirit to pray for you again. It was one of the shortest prayers I
have ever prayed, and immediately I received a storm of thoughts in answer.
They contain some insights into your situation. What I have to say does not
come from me, but rather through me. So please consider it prayerfully.
Before I go any further,
please understand that whatever follows is NOT criticism. It is meant to
help you see, for such was my prayer. In His immeasurable love, the Lord
gave me a prayer (I had no intention to pray about you this morning) in
order to show me some things that can open your eyes if you accept His
warning. So, here goes.
You have a terrible
situation in your family. It is painful and brings you a lot of sorrow. You
cry out to the Lord for deliverance. And the Lord has answered your prayers,
because He IS FAITHFUL! Only He has not answered exactly the way you
wanted it to happen. You wanted a simple quick fix: “Just do what I ask,
Lord! That’s all I need!” But the Lord’s understanding is NOT like our
understanding! He does not think that a quick fix will do, because
there are some things in you that need to be changed. He showed you
these things before in prophetic messages and dreams, but you did not
understand! (I will get to those messages later and will point them out to
you, quoting from your own letter.) So, your situation as well as your own
future depends on your willingness to humble yourself and admit that God
is always right. In that humble mode you will ask Him to show you
exactly what He wants you to change, and He will. This is in a nutshell the
core of your problem. Please allow me to explain.
I am sure you have
experienced the following scenario in your life. A man needs help; he needs
it desperately! He cries out, he begs you to save him. You come to that
person, filled with love and sincere desire to rescue him. To do that, you
must say some pretty rough and unpleasant things because acknowledgement of
one’s sins, mistakes, or failures is the first step to healing and
deliverance. For we cannot repent of something we do not admit having done.
I am sure you agree with me so far. Will you be able to help this person if
he refuses to face the truth about himself? No matter how much you love him
and wish to help, it will be impossible without his full cooperation. Do you
agree? I hope you do.
Now, let’s go back to
your situation. As I have mentioned, you prayed for deliverance and the Lord
answered by putting you in touch with His prophet who can speak for Him and
explain to you what you could not see and did not understand.
When you found MM’s
website you knew that Malcolm is a prophet of God. So, when you asked
Malcolm for help, did you ask for just another man’s opinion or did you
enquire of the Lord through His prophet?
You were enquiring of
the Lord! What use is it to you to know yet another man’s opinion? How can a
man (any man) help you? Do you not know that it is the Lord who heals and
delivers? Of course you do!
Having admitted from the
outset in your own letter that you were writing to a prophet, you asked him
to pray for your need and to interpret a dream which you could not
understand. Malcolm did what you had asked for and responded to you with
what God had showed him. Then you turned around and rejected the answer, as
if it were a merely human opinion! Dear Xxxxx, let’s be logical: if I ask
a prophet for a message from God and then reject what he has to say, I am
rejecting God, not the prophet! The survivors of Judah did exactly this,
and you may recall what resulted from their rejection of God (Jeremiah
42-43). So how can God help you if you reject His message?!
Interestingly, you
do not reject Malcolm as a prophet in general. You do not call him a false
prophet as some spiritually blind false ministers do. You KNOW that God has
given Malcolm and Helena this ministry to restore the truth to the Church!
However, when it comes to your personal matters, you persist that he is
wrong about you. You state that Malcolm (but rather God) is wrong about you
having pride. Well, the Spirit moved you to write about some dreams and
prophecies in your letters to Malcolm so that He can show you through others
that He had given you warnings in the past. However, you did not see or
understand.
I think the Lord has
moved me to write to you because I had a problem of pride. [Everyone has to
face this issue sometime, or many times, in their life.] The Lord has been
teaching me very intensively about pride and training me to fight it. In the
beginning I did not know how much pride I had. But now I am grateful that He
revealed it to me. I would like to share with you some things that He has
taught me.
1.
Pride has many forms, from the most obvious to the most subtle. The
most subtle form of pride is NOT in what we do or say. It is NOT even in
what we think. It is deeply hidden at the very bottom of our heart and is
not even formed into a thought! I am attaching to this letter some dreams
God gave me in the past two years, pertinent to the subjects of pride and
what is wrong with the churches today. We may believe we do things to serve
the Lord, to help people, but at the bottom of this passion to serve,
hidden, may be a desire to be noticed, praised by men, acknowledged,
admired, needed by others in order to know God,
etc. Remember the scripture:
The heart is deceitful
above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? I the LORD
search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his
ways, and according to the fruit of his doings (Jer 17:9-10).
Pride is the main
characteristic of “Ego” – the ugliest and the most difficult idol to
demolish. All men have pride in one form and degree or another (with
very few exceptions[1]
throughout the history of mankind). If someone claims to have NO pride, it
IS HIS PRIDE SPEAKING!
The idea that there are
two kinds of pride – one good and one bad, is a reprobate and sneaky
deception of the devil. There is no such thing as good pride! God hates it
for a reason. It blinds us to Him and turns our spiritual ear deaf. Jesus is
our model. If anyone has ever had any right to be proud, that would be
Jesus. However, He did not have as much as a hint of pride. He was giving
all the glory to the Father. Shouldn’t we do the same? I have learned that
even to be proud of what God has done through me is wrong. Even when I
praise the Lord for it I may still be proud that He has used me as
His instrument!
2. Pride cannot be
addressed and dealt with once and for all. It is a life-long everyday
battle. Killing it is the cross we have to pick up and carry as we walk in
Jesus’ footsteps. Believe me, it is a hard thing – to reject this sweet
poison every day. But for one who truly loves God as I am sure you do, it is
THE ONLY thing to do!
Sometimes it gets
frustrating. Say I make plans to do something, believing that it is God’s
will. I get excited about how wonderful it will be. Then I hear this small
quiet voice inside saying one word: “Pride”. And my hands drop in
desperation. “Lord, shall I ever do anything right??? Shall I ever have a
pure heart??”
But the very moment of
this desperation is precious, because it humbles and purifies me. I repent,
and then He shows me what He wants me to do. And it is so much better
than all my previous smart plans! In this constant battle with pride I have
understood what Paul meant when He said: “When I am weak, then I am strong.”
3. God is faithful! When
we admit that He is ALWAYS RIGHT and are willing to accept His correction,
He will always warn us about the enemy’s traps, even in advance. This still
baffles me at times. The forewarning can be hard to understand, because you
cannot see what you have done wrong. Of course you cannot, as you have not
done it yet! But after a few lessons, through analyzing the past events,
comparing them with the warnings we have received, we learn to trust the
Lord and listen to Him carefully.
July 9, 2005
Last night I received a
cryptic message for you. I had a dream in which I was given some things to
write you. Then a voice spoke and said:
“With God 2
is enough, but you choose 70.”
The message woke me up,
and I was given its interpretation. 2 means “certainty’ in God’s numerics.
It is fitting that two relevant scriptures were given in the morning
to confirm the meaning of this interpretation.
A) “Not by might nor by
power but by My Spirit, says the LORD of hosts” (Zec 4:6).
B) “Blessed is the man
who trusts in the LORD, whose trust is the LORD” (Jer 17:7). 70 = 7 (God’s
perfection) x 10 (man’s government, human power). Thus, the deciphered
message reads: “With God certainty is enough [trust in the
Lord], but you choose to pollute and distort His perfection by human
attempts to control and run things.”
You have tried to
justify existence of churches, saying that some of them are good [this is
the typical church leader’s retort] and that some pastors are good. Truth is
– some pastors are good indeed! Even among Catholic and Orthodox priests
there are some faithful and good servants of God (as deceived as they may
be).
But the entire
system, the hierarchic pyramidal structure of churches is an abomination
to God! Whether you want it or not, it leads others to look up to men rather
than God. It puts a man in a position of an intermediary between other
believers and the Lord.
For this reason, all
churches will not stand! It is inevitable! The ONLY Church that will stand
is NOT a human organization. It is His Church, of which Jesus is the sole
High Priest and Head!
Please understand
that this is not personal! And you fail to see it only because of the subtle
pride, which makes us desire to be in the position of control and
importance. That is why, again, you were reading God’s Church Whose
Authority? as if it were just another book of another author, with
whose personal opinions you may or may not agree. We are instructed
to prove everything, but we must prove it by the Word of God and the witness
of His Spirit in us, not by any human reasoning. Once again the Lord has
given you a warning in the message last night that human attempts
to control and run things are wrong. Such attempts only pollute
and distort God’s perfect plan.
Please allow me now to
show you in the prophecies and dreams you mentioned to Malcolm similar
warnings God had given you before He led you to ask “Midnight Ministries”
for help.
“…The Pastor said
come forward Solomon my son. I
find this an amazing statement, as from a little boy people always commented
on a natural wisdom that I had, and it was noticeable wherever I went, to
God be the glory. The Pastor went on to say words to the effect of, "just
as David was superseded by Solomon, you will continue the ministry". She also
said that I would continue to play the guitar as I do now, and will be
faithful until death.
[This prophecy contained
a warning to you, not a commendation of your wisdom. Consider the story of
Solomon’s spiritual demise. A man so richly blessed by wisdom, wealth and
the knowledge of God, betrayed the very One who had blessed him! If you were
not poisoned by pride you would have noticed that warning yourself. However,
it felt good to hear a comparison to the wisest man ever. This is the
way Satan works!]
“…The regional
manager appears in the dream and tells me that I need to change my
clothing because of the job that he has given me, so I go into what
looks like the toilets at work, use the lavatory and notice that my
stools are white, change my clothing, and put on a white garment…”
[The need to change your clothing symbolizes that you must purify
yourself of all that is not of God. Remember that the Lord’s Bride must
not have any stains or wrinkles, or any such thing. Pride and stubborn
self-will are definitely not of God. If you did not have any of these, there
would be no need for God to tell you to go and change clothes, don’t you
think? Secondly, using the lavatory depicts in symbolism an act of getting
rid of all impurities that defile us in the eyes of the Lord. Your stools
were white, which means that the impurities (excrements – toxic matter) of
which you must rid yourself seem to you as good and pure things (white is
symbolic of righteousness). That is why this white excrement has a meaning
of self- righteousness. You are proud of being ‘humble’! (How subtle and
ironic!) You are also proud of the many people you have brought to God. Even
if you say “Praise be to the Lord”, it still does not change the fact that
you are proud to have been His instrument in this. But it is wrong in His
eyes, as the dream shows by comparing it to human waste. Any type of pride
is wrong, because it builds a wall between us and our God.].
Dear Xxxxx, the good
news is (as the above quoted dream shows) that you love God enough to be
willing to change. You will turn around and repent. And after you
have done so, you will see that Malcolm did not publish booklets containing
his own human opinions. He was given a job to write down and publish the
truths that need to be restored so that the Church might be prepared for the
Bridegroom’s coming.
God bless you.
In His love,
Mila Thompson
Some Dreams From God About PRIDE
The Deadly Cobra of Proud Church / Ministry Leaders
Dream given to Mila Thompson
- August 4, 2004
I see a house. Steve and
I need to go into an inner room of the house. It is a laundry room. Our way
lies through another empty room. It’s the only way to get where we are
going. In the center of the room we have to pass there is a big snake
standing on its tail-end [arrogant, assertive, defensive of what it
considers its territory].
The snake is flat like a
cobra, but does not have a ‘hood’ on the sides of its head the way a cobra
does.
The snake begins to spin
around at a great speed, standing on its tail at a 60° angle, so that its
eyes are on the level with our eyes. Every now and then it coils back and
then thrusts itself out in our direction with enormous power, stretching its
body full length to reach and bite us. It is very big and almost reaches the
ends of the room.
With our backs touching
the walls we have very little space left to walk. It is very dangerous, but
we keep going.
I begin thinking about a
chance to grab the snake below its deadly jaw but its movements are so fast
and precise that it seems physically impossible. I know that the moment we
make any movement in the direction of the snake it will strike. So, I do not
make any movements, but somehow, the next instant its neck (the exact part
beneath the jaw I was considering) is in the grip of my left hand, and I am
squeezing it tightly. Now we can cut off its head and be safe.
Then a thought comes to
my mind: why was it standing there preventing us from going into that room?
Out of the corner of my eye I seem to catch some movement on the floor of
the inner room and it makes me think that the snake might have had a nest in
there. If I am right, its little ones may be hidden in that room. We talk
about being careful and checking the room carefully when we enter it. If
there are any little snakes in there, and if we do not find and kill them,
they will grow up to be just as dangerous and deadly as their mother. In
fact, they would be even more dangerous, because we would be unaware of
them.
Meaning:
So far two levels of
interpretation of this dream have been revealed to us: a personal level and
a more general level for the Church as the body of Christ.
The house symbolizes the
house of the Lord (His Kingdom). We normally enter through a church
organization, which could have been depicted in my dream as the larger room
we had to pass through. However, it can also mean a certain period of any
individual’s personal spiritual growth. To get to the “laundry room”
(symbolic of spiritual purification) we have to overcome some obstacles
(personal traits of character) which may stand in our way.
In the Bible, Satan is
depicted as a serpent. It can be also used as a symbol for any satanic
influence, force or trait of character which Satan uses to draw us away from
God. Any sin that stands in our way to spiritual purification and hinders
our walk with God is a venomous snake, deadly for our spiritual life.
Pride is the most dangerous one of all. It can be found at the root of
almost every evil intent or deed of man. It was at the root of the original
sin of humanity in the Garden of Eden.
The snake in my dream
resembled a deadly cobra, very fitting for a dangerous thing like pride.
When poisoned by pride, we are blinded, lose our discernment and become easy
prey for the devil. We become spiritually deaf and unresponsive to the
Lord’s warnings through the Spirit. Individually, I was shown that because
of my desire to do God’s will and obey Him, He gave the head of my own
personal “cobra” (pride) into my hands. The dream obviously shows that it
was not done by any natural capability of mine, but supernaturally, by His
Spirit. However, we were given a warning to remember and look for the
“little snakes”. We must always be on guard against the seeds of pride,
analyzing the motives of every action we take, not allowing our feelings or
emotions (being hurt or insulted for instance), as well as jealousy, envy,
anger, hatred etc. a foothold in our life. Such thoughts and emotions enter
our mind, but we must reject and denounce them, thus killing the snakes
while they are still small and not quite as dangerous.
On the more general
level, that deadly cobra symbolizes any ministry leader or minister of a
human organization called “church” who is driven by pride or desire for
human recognition and power, rather than by love for the Lord our God. Such
church leaders become like the “shepherds” spoken of in Ezekiel 34, who do
not care about the sheep but use them for their own selfish reasons.
Jesus also accused the
contemporary spiritual leaders of Israel, saying that they had concealed the
knowledge of God from the people and hidden the key. The same happens when
church leaders usurp full control in their organizations. Whatever they know
or believe they impose on their congregations, including misinterpretations,
wrong teachings and heresies. The congregation is not led by the Holy Spirit
anymore, for the Spirit of God is quenched in a man-controlled church. It
can be seen in many churches today.
On this level, the dream
had a couple of particular fulfillments around the time it was given. First,
we had contacted a well known church leader with a radio ministry and his
staff regarding his series on Grace. Later, we were prompted to go to the
SDA church and hand out some of MM’s booklets.
Mila Thompson
Very Few Are Willing To Receive Correction!
Dream about Preparation,
October 9, 2004 (the Sabbath following the Last Great Day)
The Dream
I was in a place that
resembled a huge aerodrome, only I don’t remember if there were any planes
there. There were many people in that place (perhaps waiting to be
evacuated). We had received a warning (nobody told us, we just knew it) that
something disastrous was going to happen soon, like a war or a nuclear
attack. We were warned that in order to survive we had to “get prepared”.
The knowledge of what it meant to get prepared was given to some of us. It
was: “to live by faith and to be willing” [willing to accept correction and
be purified]. I and a few others accepted it. The transformation happened
wonderfully – in one moment. I did not see any visible changes in my
appearance, but I knew that I was changed, because that very instant I knew
in my spirit that I could fly [symbolic of living by the Spirit].
Then we, those who had
been changed, began to talk to others, persuading them to get prepared too.
There were no meetings held, no loud speeches made. Our work was very
ordinary – we simply spoke with individuals face to face, explaining to them
things. Not many would believe what we had to say. But some did. The moment
they would agree to undergo this preparation, it would have already
happened.
Those who were changed
were “clothed” in a special “garment”. Nothing extravagant, it was a simple
pullover that would appear over their clothing. The pullover, however, WAS
special, it was by itself changing to different shades and colors on each
individual, and it glowed.
After that we (the
prepared ones) were “told” to begin storing water. There appeared to be bath
tubs at different points on the field of the aerodrome, and we filled them
with water. That water was also immediately transformed and turned
absolutely pure. We knew it was precious.
The Meaning
God continues to warn
and prepare His people for the upcoming time of tribulations. He calls us to
get prepared. The preparation happens in the spirit, when we humble
ourselves and completely submit to the will of the Lord. We must live by
faith, be willing to accept God’s corrections, learn new truths,
and undergo the changes, which God considers needed for us.
When we become
“prepared”, God’s Spirit fills and marks such a transformed believer. It is
depicted in the image of a simple but beautiful, glowing pullover. I think
the fact that the pullovers were changing colors, becoming different on each
individual, shows that God works with us individually, taking into account
our personal features. We are not a no-name crowd for Him, but He knows each
of His own by name.
It seems an important
detail that the work to persuade others to be transformed was also an
individual work, performed by speaking with others face to face. (Done in
such a manner, there is less danger for a person to develop a self-elevated
attitude). It also shows that church organizations that attract many people
do not do this job. The dream portrays that not many people would listen to
corrective messages. The majority of Christians are “comfy” the way they are
and don’t like to be bothered about changes.
The water is widely used
in the Bible to symbolize the Holy Spirit. It is called “the living water”,
“the life-giving water”, etc. There is also a parallel with the supply of
oil for the lamps of the Ten Virgins in Mat. 25. Oil is another symbol for
the Spirit of God.
In the parable of the
Ten Virgins we find a warning, given for our time, about the lack of the
Spirit in the lives of half of God’s Church. Similarly, in this dream the
ones that have obeyed and been changed are told to store “water”.
Another parallel I was
reminded of is the warning in the Bible about the time to come of great
famine for the word of God, when people will thirst without the living water
of God’s Truth.
Mila Thompson
Church Leaders Abuse The People
November 14, 2004
Dream 1. Dream about
a Married Couple
I
saw a couple, an older man [symbolises church
leaders] and a much younger woman [God’s people]. At first I thought that
they were a father and his daughter. The man was very controlling and would
not let the young woman do anything without his ‘instructions’. He was very
dominating, and I saw that the woman was scared to do something to upset or
make him angry. The man was also cold and harsh, even rude with his
‘daughter’. I felt very sorry for her. He was even checking the music tapes
she had in her bedroom, doing it in a very degrading manner.
Then something in their
behavior betrayed that they had an intimate relationship. I could feel that
the man was getting sexually excited while he humiliated the woman. For an
instant I thought that the father was used to sexually assaulting his
daughter. But then I realized that they were actually a married couple, not
a father and daughter. It was disgusting.
The Meaning
This dream illustrates
how many leaders of organized churches use and abuse younger but Spirit-
filled members of their churches, treating them as if they were
irresponsible and ignorant children, not their brothers and sisters in the
Lord. They do not teach them to listen to the Spirit and learn from the Lord
directly. They do not want to see them grown up and mature in their
spiritual walk. They enjoy exercising unlimited control over the Lord’s
flock.
The dream can also have
a secondary meaning – that of man-domination over women, which is approved
by some churches. This pyramidal system in the Church is ugly and abhorrent
in the sight of God.
Mila Thompson
The Church Is Sick!
Dream 2.
Dream about a ‘Sick House’
I was in a large room of
a house. The walls and the ceiling of the room had big cracks, and it was
obvious that it needed to be repaired. In the central part of the room there
were two pillars, which seemed to be supporting the ceiling. Both pillars
had large letters written on them: V I P. (Notice the connection to the
dream of Nov. 14.) I knew that this abbreviation meant “Vitally Important
Part”. I somehow also knew that those pillars were actually the kidneys of
the ‘body’, i.e. the house, and that they were lethally sick. They could not
be cured and new kidneys were needed. We were waiting for the transplants to
arrive, hoping that the ‘body’ would survive till then.
The Meaning
The house represents the
Church, and the Church is in a very bad shape. She needs more than just a
freshen-up paint job. She is a lethally sick body, and the signs of
deterioration are beginning to show.
The pillars represent
church leaders of all kinds. Steve has mentioned to me this morning the
important function of the kidneys in the body. They cleanse the blood
stream. It is written that the blood is the life (Lev 17:11, 14; Dt 12:23).
When the kidneys stop functioning, a person dies very shortly.
Interestingly, they are
also the ‘pillars’ which support the ceiling. These ‘kidneys-pillars’ are no
good! The Church needs new ones!
This dream was brought
back to my mind when I was considering writing Malcolm a letter about Chuck
Swindoll. That is why I am sure that Chuck is one of those, symbolized by
the sick ‘pillars’. It brings me to a conclusion that these ‘pillars’, who
are “Vitally Important Parts” – namely the ‘kidneys’ of the body of Christ,
are the church leaders who teach the wrong doctrines and treat the Holy Word
of God with disrespect. They do not teach God’s Truth, they use
certain stories from the Bible to illustrate their own points or teachings
just as they use any other book. In doing so they cut and paste God’s word
freely without any concern, and may even distort the actual meaning of a
quoted text for their own end.
Mila Thompson
Evil Control of Church Leaders
December 11, 2004.
Dream of Neglected Baby
I and two other
lady-friends of mine are sitting in a coffee shop having coffee. Then a
well-built, strong and handsome man comes into the shop with a baby in a
baby carriage. He sits down at a table next to us. The baby has not stopped
crying loudly since the moment he entered the shop, but he pays no attention
to it, as if he didn’t hear. It is annoying to see a ‘parent’ paying no
attention to a screaming baby. Finally we get tired of this noise, get up
and approach the carriage to see what is wrong with the baby.
I see a baby the size of
a Subway’s foot-long sandwich. The carriage seems too big for such a small
child. It is so tightly wrapped in a wrapping cloth that it cannot move. The
instance I lower my head looking inside the carriage, the baby stops
screaming and smiles at me. Tiny as it is, its eyes are very intelligent.
Now the child’s expression is hopeful. It is happy to have someone’s
attention.
Feeling sorry for the
poor thing, I loosen the cloth and try to set the baby in a sitting position
so that it can observe things around. The baby seems very happy with the
change, but cannot hold the sitting position and falls on its side. While it
falls to the side, it still maintains the sitting body posture, like a doll.
I think that perhaps its limbs are temporarily numbed because of the bad
blood circulation caused by the long period of being tightly wrapped. I
cover the baby with the wrapping cloth as it continues to smile at me with
relief.
Meaning
The man
in this dream symbolizes leadership in the Church which is dominating. The
leaders of the churches do not care for the children of God, who are placed
in their care. They do not teach God’s pure truths, nor feed them with the
entire Word of God, or give them freedom to grow under the guidance of the
Holy Spirit.
This man is shown very
strong and handsome, a type that will attract many and is likely to win
people’s hearts. These are the features peculiar to the successful
ministers, popular pastors and tele- or radio-evangelists. They have
natural talents and charisma. People like them, and trust them. However, God
is showing in this dream that such leaders are cold and selfish by nature.
Even though the baby [a believer] is obviously placed in this man’s
care, he does not pay any attention to its needs. Moreover, he wrapped
the baby so tightly in the cloth that it has been suffering [this
depicts the full control and domination which church leaders exert]. The
child’s tiny size symbolizes that such ‘handling’ is harming he
spiritual development and growth of God’s children. A believer has no
chance to grow normally as a spiritual being in these churches. There is
little spiritual freedom to listen to God and follow His guidance nor the
proper spiritual nourishment there. Immature believers are kept immature.
The woman
is the true God’s Church filled with the Holy Spirit [may be a Spirit-filled
ministry]. She wants to take care of God’s children and set them free. Only
His truth can set us free (Jon 8:32), nourish us properly, so we can grow
spiritually strong and healthy.
Mila Thompson
SDA Church Committing Adultery
January 20, 2005
Dream Of A Woman
Committing Adultery
I was in a large barrack
with many other people. It was like a refugee camp, we all seemed to live
together in that barrack. Each had but a bunk. A married couple had their
bunk separated from the general area by a curtain. The married woman was
committing adultery behind the curtain. I and others were trying to warn her
that her Husband was coming, but she didn’t listen. Finally, right when her
husband entered the barrack, she came out wearing nothing but a negligee.
She looked at him as if surprised and told him she was about to go to bed.
She was behaving shamelessly. It was clear that her Husband was not fooled
by her lies. You could tell by the expression of indignation on his face
that he knew what was going on. He lay down on a bunk next to the entrance
door and sarcastically told her to go ahead and do what she had been going
to do. She did not blink an eye. She turned around to go inside, behind
their curtain. Suddenly, the curtain disappeared and everybody could see a
dark-haired, mean-looking guy lying on her bed. Her shame was exposed.
Meaning
True believers are like
refugees in this world of evil rule, waiting in hope to get to the place of
our final destination – the kingdom of Heaven. Jesus is our right- ful
spiritual Husband, but this woman commits adultery with a “seducer” and
betrays the One to whom her faithfulness belongs. The mean man represents
SDA church leadership. This is a symbolic representation of men-leaders
usurping Jesus’ place in the church. The SDA church members worship their
leaders instead of the Lord, whether knowingly or not. It is compared and
referred to in the book of Revelation as adultery and sexual immorality.
(Rev 2:18-29; 14:8; 17:2, 4; 18:3, 9).
God, through His
prophets and other Spirit-led believers, has warned the churches with
hierarchic structure that this is abomination to Him (well explained in
God’s Church Whose Authority, & Meetings With Jesus from MM).
However, they choose not to heed. In this dream God warns the SDA members
that they are like an adulteress who knows that she is committing a sin by
submitting to SDA leadership which is devilish, corrupt.
Notice a parallel with
the scriptures in the Gospel of John where Jesus tells Judas to do quickly
what he is about to do, and Judas immediately goes out to betray the Lord
(Jon 13:27,30). This parallel is given to once again stress that any
hierarchy in the Church is a betrayal of our Lord.
Mila Thompson
All Churches Are Inadequate!
Trying to wash my coats
Dream of April 23, 2005
In this dream I had
three coats which I wanted to wash. I was looking for a suitable washtub or
basin, but all the vessels I could find were useless. They would not contain
even one coat, let alone three. All of them were plastic containers. Some of
them were wide but way too shallow; others were deeper but too narrow, while
yet others were both narrow and shallow. Finally I gave up trying to wash my
coats the usual way. Instead, I chose one coat and put it on. Then I went
outside and stood in the rain to have it washed by it. The dream ended at
that, but I understand that I was going to have all my coats cleaned the
same way.
Meaning
The containers in the
dream represent different denominations and churches with their various
doctrines. My intention to wash my three coats symbolizes the necessity for
every child of God to be cleansed and purified by the washing with water
through the Word (Eph 5:26) in preparation for His coming. Number “3”
signifies completeness and finality, hence the meaning that we must be made
completely pure, “without a spot or wrinkle, or any such thing” (Eph 5:27).
0None of the found
containers could be used for the job. It reflects the fact that all the
doctrines of numerous Christian denominations are lacking. Their limitations
make it impossible for a believer to learn God’s truth in its fullness and
purity. Some teachings are too shallow (liberal, lacking the depth of a
true biblical foundation). Others are too narrow while rather deep
(legalistic, ritualistic, void of the Holy Spirit). Finally, some are found
both too shallow and too narrow (have neither the true biblical foundation,
nor the Spirit).
The way out I found in
the dream is the prompting from the Lord to trust Him for our renewing and
preparation. Rain symbolizes the outpouring of God’s Spirit – the work of
“Elijah” to purify and prepare His Church in these last days.
Mila Thompson
Ministers Are Hindering Growth!
Dream about my Beloved
Jew
End of March, 2005
I [any Spirit-led child
of God or ministry] had an appointment with my Beloved Jew [our Lord
Jesus]. I came to His office, but there were many people around [church
leaders and prominent ministers]. These people (men and women, all dressed
very formally) were His “aids” [men represent leaders of organized churches
with hierarchic structure; women symbolize churches]. They thought they were
serving and helping Him. However, in fact they were interfering. We could
not talk because of them. We wanted to be left alone and talk our hearts
out. We did not need any help. These ‘aids’ were a nuisance and a hindrance
to us. But they were so full of self-importance they could not see it.
Meaning
Many ministers and
church leaders misunderstand their calling. They think they are helping. But
they stand as intermediaries between children of God and their Lord, and
become a hindrance to Christians’ further closeness with the Lord. Pride and
ambition prevent them from hearing what the Spirit wants them to do.
The work God wants them
to do is NOT being intermediaries! It is proclaiming the Gospel and helping
the spiritually young to learn listening to the voice of God. It is to
teach Christians the fullness of God’s truth (including obedience to His
Holy Commandments), and to provide encouragement and support. Instead, many
church leaders and ministers put themselves in place of Jesus, controlling
and directing believers’ spiritual lives.
A true child of God may
need advice and guidance from a more spiritually mature brother or sister.
However, we do not need anyone to stand between us and our Lord and teach us
instead of the Spirit. As the Apostle John wrote: “Christ has
blessed you with the Holy Spirit. Now the Spirit stays in you, and you don't
need any teachers. The Spirit is truthful and teaches you everything” (1 Jn
2:27,
CEV).
Mila Thompson
The
Nimrod Spirit
Pride is not always subtly hidden in church circles. Africa, for example,
displays a flagrant flamboyance, a dazzling display of corrupt ministry in
various lurid colours, where the word ‘ministry’ means proud-service.
The spirit of Nimrod is alive and thriving! Like Nimrod, many ministers seek
power and domination over others. They don’t seek Christ. They seek money
and might. Their greed to accrue wealth and personal importance for
themselves is brazen and astounding!
You wouldn’t think that they are reading the same Bible! They’re certainly
ignoring what it says! Those who are motivated by greed and self elevation
are an affront to Jesus. Their example is despicable. It is a disgrace to
the name of Christ, a scab that needs cutting off from the Body! They are
not motivated by the Spirit of God. Another spirit has taken hold, the
Nimrod spirit, rooted in pride.
Nimrod was the first arrogant despot to seize complete control over people
and put himself in the place of God over others (Gen 10:8,9). He was black,
a son of Cush, the father of all the black peoples. His domination was
legendary. He not only fathered many black tribes, but he fathered their
witchcraft (demonic domination) too and Africa is still full of such
abominations.
He had an illicit sexual relationship with his mother Semiramis, and from
this outrageous example of incest, a demonic cult was born that has never
died out. It grew in Babylon to command complete control of people through
the Babylonian Mysteries, a means to psychologically control humanity
through religion. Today the cult of the Madonna and Child perpetuates the
tradition. It is seen not only in the Catholic faith but in some pagan
religions too.
Such is the power of a wrong example. That which Nimrod spawned continues
today in the élitism of hierarchic church leaders who love the pomp and
pageantry that goes with the position. As they are lifted up over the
people, adorned in their colourful flowing robes, all the imagery of
Revelation 17 and 18 about this spiritual harlotry comes flooding back to
the memory. It all originated in Babylon. Its ego is the glorification of
man.
You can see it throughout African society (and else- where, too). Africa
needs much deliverance still! I’m not talking merely about non-Christian
Africa. I mean the Church you see! Nimrod has taken over from Jesus in the
Church. Where ministers seek prestige through preaching, and elevation
through evangelism, they have succumbed to demonic spirits that have
injected them with their pride.
It is an abomination and a cancerous scab that oppresses the people of God
and suppresses the spiritual beauty of His Spirit. God will not tolerate
this dreadful evil. He will punish those who desire it.
Malcolm B Heap
Pride Causes A Prophet's Rejection
On 27th April 1997 I was
given a dream of our former neighbour. I asked her if she wanted me to do
any work on her house, but she declined my offer. She said that she needed a
length of gutter replacing because it was tatty and worn, but she said she
had not got the replacement bit yet so she told me my services were not
needed. When I had finished talking to her I noticed that another builder
was already at work on the roof, resetting some ridge tiles.
The meaning God gave was
this. The former neighbour represents our former church association. Her
excuse that she had not obtained the length of gutter was irrelevant really.
She just didn't want my services. The church doesn't want to receive
correction and redirection from a prophet.
She didn't care about the tatty old gutter, although she new it needed
replacing. The church will put up with incorrect teaching and practice if it
is expedient to do so. Church leaders ignore the input of a prophet to
change church teaching to bring it into line with God's Word.
This trait is noticeable
in ALL
church quarters! We have received the same dead response from ostensibly
Spirit-led groups. Pride, resentment and self-will are evident in their
behaviour, preventing them accepting God's correction through His prophets.
Church leaders will employ the services of others to repair aspects that are
less noticeable, but they won't accept the words of the prophets.
Malcolm B Heap, July
2005
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