“…for we are not ignorant of his devices.” (2 Corinthians 2:11)
I began to read the book of Martin Luther titled “Babylonian Captivity” some time ago, but I stopped for I wasn’t familiar with the terms used in the book. They seem too advanced for me at the time. I could read a number of paragraphs and not understand what exactly the great man was saying. I see a similarity between this title and the title of his book, but I don’t wish to rewrite what he wrote for I’m yet to read the book. But seeing that there is a lot of similarities between the challenges of the church in every time and age, I’d not be surprised to see that there could be some similarities between what I’m writing here and what he wrote.
The reason for writing this article is to make us see clearly the hypocrisy of the current church leadership and their fabricated extortive church system which they always claim is from scriptures. I write to convince the church to see that we are not in the hands of our shepherds but in the hands of captors who have used us, our wealth, and platform to build massive empires for themselves the way the Egyptians used the Hebrews to build great cities and structures. It is a sad and bitter fact, but it is the truth.
—The Genesis Of The Egyptian Captivity—
“Now there arose up a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph. And he said unto his people, Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we: Come on, let us deal wisely with them…” (Exodus 1:8 – 10)
The story of how the Egyptians were enslaved is one that is very pitiful to read. While the Bible just hinted on the scheme that was used saying they said, “let us deal with them wisely,” informing us that they were cunning in their successful enslavement of the Israelites, the book of Jasher elaborated on how everything happened and there is a very important lesson for the church in it. The same cunning scheme with which the Jews we’re enslaved is the same scheme the Devil is using on many church leaders today. Learning from the Israelites’ experience would help us not to be ignorant of the devices of the Devil.
Now I would take the pains to warn you that I refer to the book of Jasher only because the Bible itself refers to it in two portions, that is in Joshua 10:13 and 2 Samuel 1:18. I do not wish that other books of creation or historical books of that kind should be read. Many of them are false and demonic. Please avoid them. I however encourage Christians to read the book of Jasher. You’d find it very useful.
So how it all happened, in summary, is that the Egyptians were scared of the Israelites for the Israelites were very powerful and strong. They felt very threatened by their presence in Egypt, yet for some reason they didn’t want them to leave but limit them in number through hard and rigorous work. To effect this, they came up with a cunning scheme. They made a proclamation with Pharaoh’s authority that they wanted to build defences in their vulnerable cities and that every worker would be greatly rewarded in wages. It was a very attractive offer and the Israelites joined in the work and worked with the Egyptians. Gradually the Egyptians began to withdraw one by one. While the Egyptians worked and during the times of their withdrawal everybody was well paid for their work. But when the Egyptians had fully withdrawn, they stopped paying the workers which were now only Jews and began to compel them to build by force. The withdrawal was so gradual that it took a year for them to fully withdraw. Now if you’re a farmer, a year away from farm would have destroyed your reliance on your farming. If your were a herdsman, a year from tending your flock would also destroy your reliance on that. So by this scheme, they had made them completely reliant on the building construction they were doing. And that was how they became slaves of the Egyptians.
If you read the detailed account as provided by the Book of Jasher, your heart will bleed. The Hebrews were so oppressed that at a point, should they fail to meet up with the day’s requirement in the number of bricks they were to produce, they would be forced to make up for it with their own children, using them as bricks. It is so heart rending to read about how a man would be forced by the necessity placed upon him to cement his own baby alive into the walls of the structure he’s building for his captors. Very painful to read about.
The Levites however did not join in the building construction because they knew the offer was not sincere. For this reason, when the slavery started, they did not partake of it. It was the other tribes that took this offer that suffered dearly for their actions. Yes when it got to the time of killing Hebrew children, the Levites too partook of it, but not the slavery. This definitely was because they were not reliant on the Egyptians for their well being. Their self-reliance afforded them freedom in the midst of slavery.
—How The Church Came Into The Same Form Of Bondage—
“And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.” (Mark 4:19)
Now how is this scheme used today? It mostly is used on preachers. Preachers like the Israelites in Egypt consider earning a living from preaching a blessing. When it was introduced into the church, it probably seemed to them like an open door to greater service. But this was a crafty dealing of the Devil. Now they’re called to depend on the church for the source of their livelihood. Who is responsible for paying them? The church authorities (church owners and founders). Now tell me, if that church authority (church owners and founders) says they must preach what is contrary to scriptures, won’t they do it? They’ve got no choice but to do it. Should they even love the church as a man loves his own child, still for the necessity placed on them, they’d still use that child as a brick in building the empires of these slave masters.
Don’t blame your pastors. Rather pray for them to repent and return to Christ. While some are outrightly messengers of the Devil to bring to fruition his evil schemes, some were actually sincere. They didn’t think that things would turn out the way it has eventually turned out. They really thought they were up to a whole lot of good. They really thought that by accepting to be paid for preaching, the Devil was in trouble, as they would be able to dedicate more time in boxing his ugly head. Little did they know that in their accepting such wages, the Devil was himself jubilating that they were the ones in his trouble.
I used to be very angry at pastors for taking part in such an evil enterprise that slowly and steadily drains the church of life, strength, and vitality, until I considered these things. I am a Sunday School teacher in my local church and I also handle Bible study for teenagers. I can assure you that if you really love to serve in such capacity and care for spiritual things, the necessity to work for a living so as to put aside these things for a while would seem burdensome to you. Now imagine someone offering to take this burden from you. You no longer have to care for the things of this world. You no longer have to put aside the study of the word, preparing for your lessons, etc. to go work for money. I bet you’d think this is such a wonderful offer, just the way the Hebrews saw the Egyptian offer to be a wonderful one. In the end, it turned out a trap just as it turned out a trap for pastors and consequently for the church. Rather than building the church, pastors are forced to tear it down with lies, and extort the poor sheep to build these empires for their masters.
Now it is obvious that profit is at the top agenda of modern church leadership which consists of church owners and stakeholders. Anything that threatens the profitability of church business would be frowned at. If the truth is driving people away, thereby reducing the profitability of church business, won’t they compromise the truth to keep their members? If a pastor in such a system decides to take his stand uncompromisingly on the truth of scriptures, shall he not be taking a firm stand on a roller coaster that’ll throw him backwards into poverty? By embracing this system of commercial preaching, and having been this way over a period of time, they have enslaved themselves into a position between severe poverty and compromise, for they are totally reliant on them like the Israelites became reliant on the Egyptians.
The pressure to compromise has been wittingly heated up by the Devil. While it was possible to still have some who would be willing to take their stance for absolute truth in such a system, the Devil introduced his apostles to start their churches nearby (doctrine wise) to draw members away from churches that stood firmly on the truth. These new generation churches present a gospel that is so diluted yet falsely promising salvation to its members. It is so close to the true gospel having many things in common with it that you can’t even tell the difference. People who therefore leave to these churches don’t even feel like they’re leaving the way of truth. By this, there is no more constraint on anybody to remain in a church that would maintain the true gospel of Christ. While people would never leave the church to join a satanic cult because of the constraint of the knowledge of its dire eternal consequences, but to take this decision to leave a vibrant church doesn’t place any feeling of constraint at all on the members. For this reason, to maintain a firm stance on the truth is to lose your members to these churches with a 100% guarantee that nothing would keep them. So the church began (of necessity) to compromise to the foolish standards of these new generation churches to keep their members. Now if you won’t play along, you’d certainly (most certainly) lose out.
Now, let it not seem that when preachers begin to compromise their stance, it seems to them too that they are denying the Lord Jesus Christ. Far be it from them. They could never consciously do such. However, the necessity they find themselves in would work in their subconscious to persuade them that they’re just coming to a newer truth.
This is what is responsible for many things we see in today’s church. Our mode of dressing, the way our liturgies go, our style of music, our doctrines, are increasingly reflecting the world and vanities rather than Jesus, his word, and his cross. Look at women speaking, teaching, and singing in the church. This does not reflect the Bible, it reflects feminism, a demonic movement of the world. We see endless teachings about how to make money from the very pulpit that should help the Christian take his eyes from the things of this world and have them focused on God. Wealth is good and can be useful for our walk in this world, but why, I mean why, should how to make money be taught in the church so extensively? These are just few cases of how we shamelessly reflect the world instead of God. Accepting the practice of commercial preaching placed pastors in a very bad shape that made them completely unable to withstand the onslaught of the kingdom of darkness. They just couldn’t do anything about it than watch it happen. It’s a shame what we’re going through. It’s a shame what we’ve come to. Our captivity place us in the mire of shame.
Let it be known that as the Egyptians built great cities by using their captives so also these false prophets, false apostles, and false Christs, by using the church, have built massive empires for themselves. THEMSELVES.
—Deweaponisation—
“They all hold swords, being expert in war: every man hath his sword upon his thigh because of fear in the night.” (Song of Solomon 3:8)
While in many countries security is easily maintained by Governmental law enforcement agencies by depriving people from owning arms, I suppose that everyone ought to be armed for self defence. This should also be looked into because ability to defend yourself with adequate arms also help boost security (just my opinion). I believe that being deprived of arms produces victims. Abraham and his servants were armed enough to go to war with kings. Were they unarmed like is the case today, how could they ever go on such a venture to rescue poor Lot? The innocent man would have died or be taken into a perpetual captivity. Just as we can see in Song of Solomon 3:8, every man ought to be armed and trained in arms for self defence.
While it can be good for security, deweaponisation is a strategy to keep captives from being able to resist their oppressors. It has been the nature of conquerors that the moment they conquer people, to deprive them from being able to own arms. This happened to the Jews under the Roman empire’s domination of their territory. Sometimes it is also used to tame dangerous people. Depriving people of arms is most commonly a strategy used by captors, and this form of disarming captives and making them vulnerable is also in full force in the church of today.
When under a strong military dominance that guarantees security, not owning arms or having to learn how to use it feels good, especially to the lazy minded. “Let them possess the arms to protect me” they’d think to themselves. And seeing the deweaponisation going on in the church, lazy Christians also love to have it so. Let the pastors read the Bible and then come tell us what God means to say.
Deweaponisation in the present captivity of the church is achieved in claiming that you cannot understand scriptures on your own. You need the elites (those who know, Greek, Aramaic, Hebrew, etc.). For these reasons, people tend to leave study of the word of God to their elites failing to arm themselves with God’s word. For indeed the Bible describes itself as the sword of the Spirit and the weapon of our warfare (Ephesians 6:17, Hebrews 4:12). To read and understand it is to arm yourself with it. To live by it is to use it. But when people claim you cannot understand scriptures except with the help of elites, and make you believe so, they have disarmed you. You can’t use the Bible for yourself.
Today, though some may claim they read their Bible regularly, but what is the benefit of all you’re reading if you feel you’re not even understanding it except your elites give you explanations? This concept that you cannot understand scriptures independently also causes, subconsciously, an unwillingness in people to read the Bible for themselves. This disarms the Christian, and leaves him at the mercy of his captors who can then interpret the Bible any which way they wished. It is what they tell you from their knowledge of Greek, Aramaic, etc., that you accept. They therefore give you your orders and not the Bible.
This is how the captured church is craftily disarmed. But I plead, do not let go of your sword o Christian soldier. Do not think that you need elites to understand your Bible. Reading your Bible is your primary responsibility and understanding it is your birthright being a child of God having his indwelling spirit in you. Don’t leave reading your Bible for another to do. Then shall you be armed indeed. What ever measures the world may take for security’s sake, I assure you that it is God’s will for you to be armed (Ephesians 6:11-18). The spiritual deweaponisation of Christians is to prevent us from standing against the wiles of Devil. Don’t be a victim. Don’t be a captive. Be a victor.
—The Way Out—
“If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:31 – 32)
I always maintain that the genesis of our problems always emanate from every point we choose to go out of God’s will. Jesus has spoken to us, and had we followed his instructions we could never come into such a state of captivity. Jesus said, “If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:31 – 32). There in is where we got it all wrong, and if we must be free, we must return to his word and begin to seek the truth. We have been brought to a state of captivity because lies were sold to us. The lies were incredibly successful in bringing us into captivity because we sought not for the truth and cared little about it. We just want to come to church and have someone else come and tell us the “truth” he has found out rather than seeking this truth each one for himself and sharing it one with another for edification. Therefore lies has prospered in our midst. It is only by lies that these captors could hold the church captive, and it is obvious therefore that only by the truth can we be made free.
I shall just mention a few lies that has been sold to us and how it has enslaved us. I shall also tell us of how the truth can so easily set us free from them.
DEWEAPONISATION: I’ve spoken about this already above, and needn’t return fully into it. We saw the lies that we don’t need those elites who understand foreign language to understand or interpret scriptures for us. In accepting the person of these elites is going against the truth which says, “But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.” (1 Corinthians 2:10 – 16).
So we see clearly that the spirit of God is he who gives us wisdom not elites. We all have the spirit of God, therefore there is no reason to go after elites for understanding (except we are not saved at all in the first place). The elites are completely unable to show us the mind of God by knowledge of Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic, etc. If any man may profit you, he must have the spirit of God. But you too must know that if you’re truly saved, you equally have his spirit too. Only God’s spirit can show us God’s mind. No scholar or theologian can understand him. They who ever understood God all had/have his in dwelling spirit. So let us rather draw close to our Bible (King James Bible) and true reverential study for yourselves, and spend time in prayer to God, asking him to teach us and open our understanding. If you have the spirit of God, you don’t need anyone to interpret scriptures for you.
So the knowledge of this simple truth that the spirit of God teaches us himself crushes their whole deweaponisation scheme. The knowledge of this truth sets you free from their deweaponisation scheme.
PASTORAL PRIESTHOOD: The second lie we are sold is the lie that pastors are our priests. But you need to know that in the New Testament there are only two forms of priesthood, which are, The 
High Priest, which is Jesus, and Jesus alone, and next is the Royal Priesthood, which includes every born again Christian. There is no pastoral priesthood. No ecclesiastical priesthood. No clerical priesthood. We have only two. Hebrews 5:4 tells us that no man take the honour of becoming a High Priest (and consequently any form of priesthood to God) upon himself. Even Jesus Christ did not appoint himself our High Priest but God ordained him saying, “… Thou art a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek….” (Hebrews 5;5). We cannot of ourselves appoint priests or draw criteria for priesthood to God (whether it be graduation from seminary, etc.). If God does not bestow this honour we can’t take the honour. We can’t appoint priests to God contrary to his will, but we can appoint priests to devils for sure. If a priesthood must be valid, it must be approved in scriptures. We can’t just fabricate priesthoods for ourselves like Jeroboam did (1 Kings 13:33-34). The priesthood that is not recognised by the Bible cannot be a priesthood unto God but of the high places.
This little truth also brings to the ground all their claims to be your priests as if they were anything important that you can’t do without. Many of their extortive doctrines are founded on this lie that they are priests. Don’t be deceived, your priesthood (Royal Priesthood) is scripturally recognised, but theirs (pastoral, ecclesiastical, or clerical priesthood) is not recognised by scriptures.
EXTORTIVE GIVING: This follows easily after abolishing false pastoral, ecclesiastical, or clerical priesthood. Seeing they’re not our priests, what right do they have to the tithes of Christians? Out of greed, the leadership (Christian captors) claim that to fail to give them 10% of your money is to rob God. By this lie they have drained the wealth of the church. They didn’t further the gospel for never had paganism, moral decadence, and other vices been more prevalent. They’re going rich but the church is growing weak.
There are many other extortive doctrines with which they rob and spoil the church. Doctrines such as first fruits, seed sowing, violent offering (giving all you have at the moment) first born offering, and the list goes on and on. But Jesus told us clearly that he that would serve him in this later days must do so at his own expense. Please read Matthew 10:5-10 and Luke 22:35-36, study it carefully comparing the two passages to see the difference between the ministry of the time when Jesus was on earth (Matthew 10:5-10) to the ministry to the Gentiles (Luke 22:35). Then try to understand what Jesus says about New Testament ministerial services. Anyone who claims that God is calling him to service must prepare to fund himself. Though the work man is ever worthy of his wages, Jesus requires us to take our purse, scrip, etc. and provide for ourselves. This is what guided the apostles all their days. All of them including Paul. Read Acts 20:33-35 for confirmation of this. It was Paul speaking there to the Ephesians church elders. I’ll find time (God willing) to write an article on how Christian ministry ought to be funded. Please watch out for it, but in summary the watch phrase is “fund your own ministry.”
Knowing this truth, you ought to stop funding church division and weakness by paying tithes, first fruits, and other extortive giving. This may even include offerings. I tell you the truth, it is such money that divides the church. Take away this money and church founders would go find something better to do than selling lies. What you owe God is service not money (Romans 12:1). John Wycliffe, in Divine Dominion, written by him, explained that you don’t rob God in refusing to pay tithes and other forms of giving promoted by extortioners, you rob God when you deny him your service. He went on to explain that because we refuse to serve God, he sends on our way cankerworms, palmerworms, etc. who destroy our increase in persons of what we’d call today, Pastors (and other church leaders and founders). I found this to be 101% true. If everyone had actively been involved in rendering services to God as they carry out their earthly responsibilities, no body would be able to convince you that services to God in whatever capacity is the reason why they can’t work for a living. So because we fail to serve God, these church leaders come to destroy our increase. Therefore, begin rather to use your own money to serve God the best way YOU can. Actively serve God with your own money.
If we would do this, it would set us free. Among all the others, the most detrimental aspect of our captivity is the funding we provide for the continuance of our captivity. If we would know the truth that we don’t owe these our captors a dime, they would starve to death or, like I said before, they’d go look for something better doing than selling lies. What ever you wish to die, starve it, and it will naturally die. Our captors know this and that is why they fight hard to convince the church that the greatest sin is failure to pay tithes, first fruits, etc. They craftily equate it to robbing God by misapplying scriptures.
These are just few of the lies with which the church has been brought to captivity. The list goes on and on. Please read my article titled “TITHES” to understand better why it is not Biblical to practice it in the New Testament church.
Read the Bible (King James Bible) for yourself and find out more. But knowing the truth, we must begin to act right. Refuse to rely on elites for interpretation of scriptures. Remember you’re a priest yourself and let no one claim to be a priest that is not recognised in the Bible to you. Stop funding these captors of the church. Why should a captive fund his captors and that willingly? No, it must stop. To stop these things and to begin to act rightly, we need to be bold. For indeed there’s nothing to fear. A liar is weak in his stance as a feather. A little breathe of truth will blow him away. For this reason, fear not. Be strong and do it.
—God Shall See To Our Freedom—
“For thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out.” (Ezekiel 34:11)
Now about the certainty as to whether or not our redemption is sure, we have a sure guarantee for God has spoken. Whether men like it or not, and whether we cooperate with him or not, the redemption of the righteous will be effected by the power of no other than God himself. For read below in detail what he says about our situation and to the shepherds turned captors:
“Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool, ye kill them that are fed: but ye feed not the flock. The diseased have ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed that which was sick, neither have ye bound up that which was broken, neither have ye brought again that which was driven away, neither have ye sought that which was lost; but with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them. And they were scattered, because there is no shepherd: and they became meat to all the beasts of the field, when they were scattered. My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and upon every high hill:yea, my flock was scattered upon all the face of the earth, and none did search or seek after them. Therefore, ye shepherds, hear the word of the Lord; As I live, saith the Lord God, surely because my flock became a prey, and my flock became meat to every beast of the field, because there was no shepherd, neither did my shepherds search for my flock, but the shepherds fed themselves, and fed not my flock; Therefore, O ye shepherds, hear the word of the Lord; Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I am against the shepherds; and I will require my flock at their hand, and cause them to cease from feeding the flock; neither shall the shepherds feed themselves any more; for I will deliver my flock from their mouth, that they may not be meat for them. For thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out. As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day. And I will bring them out from the people, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land, and feed them upon the mountains of Israel by the rivers, and in all the inhabited places of the country.” (Ezekiel 32:3-13).
Please read the whole of the thirty second chapter of Ezekiel and see what God shall himself do. In the day when God shall accomplish this for his church, then shall we be free indeed and purity and truehearted devotion towards God shall reign in our midst.
Let us not sit back saying let God do it, rather, let us prayerfully seek the truth for ourselves, and, when we realise the truth, act with complete boldness for the redemption of the church, knowing that God himself is in our midst to accomplish this great redemptive enterprise. As we do so, may God open our understanding to know the truth, stand for the truth, and cheer our hearts as we fight manfully for the truth which will of necessity set us free.
Thank you for reading. God bless you.
Prayer: Thank you dear Father for all you’ve allowed to come upon your church. We may not tell why it is so, but we are glad that by this captivity we shall see your mighty power at work as you set your church free by your own self and power. We are sorry for our collective carelessness that brought us to such a sorry state. Please forgive us. We pray that as you have said in Ezekiel 34, you will redeem us to the uttermost. Thank you dear Father for in Jesus’ dear name we pray. Amen.
