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The Persecuted Church

 

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The new myth: that ancient cultures were monotheistic and knew the God of Israel as their god

A new replacement theology has taken place, the myth of supreme god[s] of the ancient cultures can all be the God of the Bible. This is perpetuated by Daniel Kikawa (Aloha ke Akua) who has first written a book Perpetuated in Righteousness.

His idea of redeeming cultures is put in action by saying, “Christians should cease representing Jesus as the Son of the foreign God of a foreign people ... We should instead introduce Jesus as the Son of their creator God. God lovingly created them from the beginning, never left them without a witness and, in his great love for them, even sent His only begotten Son, Jesus, to die for them! (p.27 Perpetuated in Righteousness)

While God did send his son to die for all to be brought back in relationship with him, He did not leave himself as witness in other cultures, via their god[s]. Unless one is grounded in the Scripture and pays attention, they may not notice that Kikawa departs from the written word of the Bible and presents a different Jesus.

One needs to understand the nature of God and how man relates to Him correctly to come to the right conclusions on a cultures religious history.

Isaiah 43:1 “But now, thus says the LORD, who created you, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel: "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine.”

Kikawa mission, to go back into the ancient past to discover a supreme God of a culture and say their god had a son. As we will see, even being monotheistic and knowing the God of Israel can be two very different matters.

When one applies Jesus, the Son of God to their religions ancient supreme being, he has changed the gospel. That is why we must speak up and say: this is not just false but an antichrist teaching (in that Jesus becomes the Son of another Father: God.) This is one of the most subtle anti-Semitic teachings to come into the church in our lifetime (this I will be explained in detail).

Kikawa went from using the name Io for the Hawaiians to using the gods of other nations in his “redeeming the culture agenda.”

On “Romans 1:20 If our God - who is a righteous, fair and merciful God - says that people, all people groups, are "without excuse" when they don't follow Him, He must have clearly showed Himself to each people group.” http://across.co.nz/article.hula.html It does not say God personally showed himself to all, it says, “they suppress the truth in unrighteousness” (v.18-19), they acted contrary to what could be understood by their observation of nature, their own iniquity prevented them from knowing the basic things of His existence.

Daniel Kikawa: “And most of these cultures I would look at them, at, what they know of the creator God in their culture as we know in Acts 1:20 it says that all people (intelligible) are without excuse to know him because he’s made so clear to them. So if they knew him they had a name for him.” (Word to the World KLHT Calvary chapel radio, Interview with Daniel Kikawa by Danny Lehman, YWAM director Feb.10, 2006)

His “IF” is a BIG assumption. First of all, his interpretation of Rom.1 is wrong (correction, it is not Acts 1:20),

Rom.1:20 “His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made” it means that there is witness that God exists (invisible attributes- such as how nature works). Yet when read in its context V.28, “since they did not think it worth while to retain the knowledge of God.” Painting a smiley face on degraded cultures and societies that were often run by tyrants (i.e. Nimrod) and do not know God.

Kikawa has implemented Hegals dialectic. If you believe this, you are being diapraxed. He has taken a false historical view, revised it, and made it conducive to Christianity. He fits the pieces he wants and disregards the pieces that go against his theory from the same authors he quotes.

His argument is that because certain religions at one time believed in one God, therefore they believed in the same one. But actually all this is called is a similarity. To say that something is the same because they are similar is nonsense. Our DNA is 99% similar to apes. Are we the same as apes now? There is no such thing as special logic that only works on certain subjects. If his logic cannot work in other arguments (such as this one) then it is logic that does not work. This is especially true when it comes to Bible teaching.

the rest are open through the name of the creator God in Hawaii which is Io, and through him they see that he’s a Hawaiian god, but he’s the same creator of all things, and y’know sent his son for them” (Word to the World KLHT Calvary chapel radio, Interview with Daniel Kikawa by Danny Lehman, YWAM director, Feb. 13, 2006). Meaning he is Io to the Hawaiians but he is also the god of the other (approved) cultures.

Here is what he is doing, reviving a cultures ancient god that most people today would not recognize and tell them your god has son so they wont be offended of us bringing a foreign god to them.

“But that, that the son of your creator came who made himself known to us as Rom.1:20 says and so this is what we bring to them (Word to the World KLHT Calvary chapel radio, Interview with Daniel Kikawa by Danny Lehman, YWAM director Feb.14, 2006)

And he does this with every nation / culture he can. “So by finding the native name of God which in, in Japan we found that name is ameno mi nagimushi which means the God in the glorious center of heaven and he is their creator God who created everything” (Daniel Lehmann “Word to the World” interview with Daniel Kikawa Feb 16, 2006)

“It is time that Christians reclaimed the many beautiful names of the One Creator God in native languages instead of falling into Satan's trap and destroying them. We should reclaim those names and wash the dung of corruption off of them instead of giving them up to Satan. We must cast off the corruption that Satan has thrown on the many beautiful names of God in native languages.” (Danny Lehmann, “word to the world” KLHT Calvary chapel radio, Interview with Daniel Kikawa, Feb. 16, 2006)

The Bible says God’s name is revealed and it certainly is not the name of the other nation’s gods.

The Bible is explicit of whom God is with and who he revealed himself to.

2 Kings 21:4 In Jerusalem I will put My name.”

2 Chronicles 6:6 Yet I have chosen Jerusalem, that My name may be there” (2 Chron.33:4)

Isaiah 52:5-6 “And My name is blasphemed continually every day. Therefore My people shall know My name ;

Therefore they shall know in that day That I am He who speaks: 'Behold, it is I.'"

Then the Lord says what Paul quotes in Romans 10, about those who bring good news - the gospel that your nations ancient god is God; No! The gospel of Jesus Christ.

Kikawa insists that nearly all ancient cultures knew the true god, that the names of these nations gods should be accepted as the true creator. How does he distinguish if they are the true god? He determines this by whether they are supreme and benevolent. Daniel Kikawa has reduced the qualifications of God to their lowest denominator so that it can work with his universal god theory. Its not just about a god being above the other gods (in the same culture), called supreme and being benevolent. (article on: qualifications for being the Biblical God, the creator)

 witness, in that He did good, gave us rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness.” God is good in providing the genPaul said in Acts 14:11-17: “Who in bygone generations allowed all nations to walk in their own ways. “Nevertheless He did not leave Himself withouteral needs to all, whether one knows him or even believes there is a god. Matthew 5:45-46 “He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” This is what is called general provision and grace to all.

God is good but he is also just and he punishes sin and evil, so to use this myopic view of benevolence as the main requirement is misleading.

Deuteronomy 7:9-11 “therefore know that the LORD your God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments; and He repays those who hate Him to their face, to destroy them. He will not be slack with him who hates Him; He will repay him to his face.” Did God not destroy the world in the flood? Will he not do this again in the Tribulation? Can we call him the benevolent God, He destroyed the whole known world. God has other characteristics and attributes.

Gods name is His nature, to claim the name of other gods as god is to blaspheme the holy name of God. (Jud. 13:8) What Kikawa is doing is exactly what universalists, liberals, those who subscribe to interfaith have always done. This is not Christian teaching. Here are some examples from another religion:

“Many names in many religions are used to describe the same God. … Be aware that all major religions promote the belief in one God and one mankind, and that God is the source of Truth and Guidance. … In other words, God creates all religions. … The source of all religions is one. Truth is One. God is One.”  (Bahai)

Although we may have different concepts of God's nature, although we may pray to Him in different languages and call Him by different names--Allah or Yahweh, God or Brahma--nevertheless, we are speaking about the same unique Being” (The Bahá'í Concept of God http://info.bahai.org/article-1-4-0-2.html)

Referencing an interview with Malia Craver and Don Richardson Kikawa similarly writes, “God is the creator of all nations, tongues and peoples And is spoken of in each language.” (p. 27 Perpetuated in Righteousness)

Where does it teach this in the Bible? If you are one of those that get excited hearing this, I suggest you reread your Bible because you are not accepting truth.

With regular replacement theology, the belief is that in 70 AD many of the prophecies were fulfilled. The covenant to Israel was canceled; the promises to Israel were transferred to the church. Kikawas replacement teaching: YHWH did not reveal himself to be the God of Israel but the god of all nations and cultures even before Israel was made. That God spoke to them as he spoke to Israel. That if we go into the past and redeem a cultures supreme god, we can redeem that culture.

History of man

There were 70 nations developed after the flood. God had distinguished Israel from all the nations.

Deuteronomy 7:6 “The LORD your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession.” Isaiah 49:6 “I will also give You as a light to the Gentiles, That You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth.'"

What Daniel Kikawa is proposing is an unbiblical view of history and the Bible.

Isaiah 42:8-9: “I am the LORD, that is My name; And My glory I will not give to another, Nor My praise to graven images. Behold, the former things have come to pass, And new things I declare; Before they spring forth I tell you of them."

Where is the prophecy from these gods of the other nations to prove they are God? Did any prophesy of the Messiah as the Bible did? No, of course not. Can we find any nation besides Israel that were directly given 613 commands by God which included “You shall have no other gods before Me” (Exodus 20:3). Whose the me? Not all the other gods.

Kikawa is claiming that other nations learned of God apart from the revelation given to Israel. The Bible does not say anything like this anywhere.

The Ancient World after the flood was quite small. From Adam was passed down the knowledge of YHWH Elohim and the accounts of generations and history. There were only a few in the line of Adam that were faithful to Him. Noah and his family were the lone representatives of God as they did listen to him.

We can assume the first generation of Noahs sons after the flood taught correctly. From the 3 sons of Noah, we read Genesis 10:5 “From these the coastland peoples of the Gentiles were separated into their lands, everyone according to his language, according to their families, into their nations” (Genesis 10:32). The nations were divided on the earth after the flood. Kikawa believes that if you go back far enough you will find cherubic type cultures, the one true God has been their god all along involved in their cultures progression. Hardly the case when we look at these cultures actual history; they were not were monotheistic having supreme Gods.

A huge departure took place as the people built the Tower of Babel. Called confusion by God for the people were not worshiping Him. God separated them, made them not understand each others language. Does one want to make the argument that after God confounded their languages and they were spread over the world their worship improved? The Bible teaches false religion was spread to the four corners of the globe. The whole reason God took Abram out from Ur was because no people worshiped God or knew him like He wanted to be known. “Thus says the LORD God of Israel: 'Your fathers, including Terah, the father of Abraham and the father of Nahor, dwelt on the other side of the River in old times; and they served other gods” (Joshua 24:2). If YHWH was the God of all nations, He would not have needed to remove Abraham from Ur to make a nation from Him. He would have kept him there and fixed what they knew. The whole point of The Lord taking Abram out of UR shows that God wanted to deliver the truth of himself as he would develop a nation from one man that would bring it to the other nations. It shows that even the nations in the same vicinity did not have the truth.

Genesis 17:4: “My covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations.” Nations were to come from him was they did from Noah. God covenants with Abram and changes his name to reflect this promise. Genesis 22:18: “In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed” Whose seed? Abrahams, speaking of the Hebrew line which the Messiah would come.

One would have a hard time proving that the same cultures that exist today actually existed right after the flood. By the time Moses is there they are steeped in polytheism and reject the monotheism of Moses. In fact, 400 years before when Joseph was in Egypt, the Pharaoh called for his magicians and wise men to interpret his dream (Genesis 41:8). When Joseph became the head of all Egypt (Gen. 45:9) the country did not convert, however they did give Israel favor which lasted until the king of Egypt died (Exod. 2:23-3:1). Israel goes into bondage for 400 years. Moses 80 years after his birth Moses meets God at the burning bush He said, "I am the God of your father--the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." (Exodus 3:6). He is to go back and tell Pharaoh, “The LORD God of the Hebrews has met with us” (Exodus 3:18). God is uniquely identified with Israel, not any other nation.

The Hebrews came to know the true God. It was given to them, initiated by God. They are the ONLY nation having the Lords intervention, given revelation over each successive generation, through the prophets. The priests maintained the sacrificial system to them. No other nation had an ark of the covenant, a tabernacle. Only through faith in God, becoming a Jew, following Gods Law and keeping the sacrifice could one be in right standing with God before Jesus Christ was crucified (Eph. 2:11-12). God was not forming the cultures of the world, their customs, or their religion; only Israel.

The other nations DID NOT have this God. This is why it says in Deut. 6:14: “You shall not go after other gods, the gods of the peoples who are all around you.

To Isaac, God said, "I am the God of your father Abraham” (Gen. 26:24). This is later developed to succeeding generations as the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (18 times). The Lord God of your fathers (17 times) “The God and Father of Israel” (1 Chron. 29:10). God is called “The LORD God of the Hebrews” (Exod. 7:16); “the God of Israel” over 200 times; “the God of Jerusalem” the capital of Israel. Are we to say this insignificant? Can we ignore that he will make his home in Jerusalem? Zechariah 8:3: "Thus says the LORD: 'I will return to Zion, And dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. Jerusalem shall be called the City of Truth, The Mountain of the LORD of hosts, The Holy Mountain.' What other nation on earth is called by name as “Israel My glory” (Isa. 46:13) No other nation is called His own by God. He does not identify himself by any culture or people but Israel. This is why this theory becomes a unique replacement theology.

There is not one other nation, culture God speaks of worshipping Him correctly. Even Israel, with all the commandments given directly and supernaturally by God often fell into idolatry, which was influenced by the other cultures around them. The Lord warned Israel Lev. 18:24: “Do not defile yourselves with any of these things; for by all these the nations are defiled.” Lev. 26:27-28 'And after all this, if you do not obey Me, but walk contrary to Me” V. 33 “I will scatter you among the nations.” He tells them in Deut. 4:28-30 “there you will serve gods, the work of men's hands, wood and stone, which neither see nor hear nor eat nor smell.

There is only one record of conversion of another nation. The Ninevites were wicked but received the mercy of God though a Jewish prophet coming to them with a message. They found God was benevolent because they REPENTED. 2 Kings 19:36-37: Sennacherib king of Assyria departed and went away, returned home, and remained at Nineveh . …he was worshiping in the temple of Nisroch his god.” Sennacherib king of Assyria come up against all the fenced cities of Judah, and took them. 2 Kings 18:13. But they turned from God in just a few hundred years (Nah.2:8). So the only nation the Bible gives record of acknowledging Israels God did not last and God judged Nineveh (3:7).

Kikawa does not tell people to repent from their false worship but marries their god to Jesus by finding a general similarity, then adds a son to their false god. Doing this he is denying the special revelation given only to Israel. Deut. 28:1 “the LORD your God will set you high above all nations of the earth. this was done by giving them the law, the priesthood, the tabernacle and his covenant.

Many of these religions were in existence long before New Testament revelation were given, these oldest cultures were not monotheistic but henotheistic. Having a Supreme god[s] Male and Female that begot other lesser gods.

Canaan/Ugaritic: Baal & Asherah http://home.comcast.net/~chris.s/canaanite-faq.html
Sumerian: An and Ki http://home.comcast.net/~chris.s/sumer-faq.html

Mesopotamia: Enlil and Ninlil
Hitite: Kumarbi & Hannahannas http://ancienthistory.about.com/library/weekly/aa102197.htm
Egyptian: Amen & Nut http://socsci.colorado.edu/LAB/GODS/
Persia: Ahura Mazda & Spenta Armaiti (the earth goddess) (Source)

So how can another ancient nation have the same god as Israel?

In their Exodus (32:8) Some of Israel made themselves a golden calf, and worshiped it, and it was said, 'This is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt!'

Kikawa similarly says this is Israels god - Korea (Haninim), India, Hawaii (Io), Japan (ameno mi nakamushi) China (shang ti) etc.

These other nations gods were called supreme, even the golden calf was called Yahweh, they are not going to trade a supreme god for a lesser god. They called him Gods name, he was considered the supreme God, but was an idol made with hands. Whats the difference with presenting a god of a culture that has nothing to do with Israel?

For God says in 1 Chronicles 16:26 “For all the gods of the peoples are idols

Psalms 96:5 “for all the gods of the peoples are idols, But the LORD made the heavens.”

Its not whether the people say a certain god is the creator, but whether He actually is. The choice is to believe what the Bible says or not.

 

pt.4 A short look at the nations through Bible history

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