A few things worth noting in a letter written by Bill John in September, 2023 – a letter which has since been found its way onto the internet. See the full letter below.
THE LETTER.
Dear _____________________,
What would the future look like if multiple generations chose to trust in the Lord, take Him at His word–believing that He is who He says He is, and that He will do what He said He would do?
It is in response to the great pursuit of God’s love that together, as a movement, we have said “yes” to this simple mandate for more than 70 years. While it is impossible to become an expert on the presence of God, it is possible to be a people of multigenerational faith, committed to creating and stewarding a legacy of holding fast to the truth of who God is and His promises released over us. In this pursuit of God, we have witnessed Him faithfully meet our hunger for more of Him-coming face-to-face in personal encounters and becoming co-laborers to see salvations, miracles, signs, and wonders.
In this hour, we stand as a faithful community of believers with the unchanging mission of revival–the personal, regional, and global expansion of God’s kingdom through His manifest presence. The Great Commission is an open invitation to us all, to lean in and partner with God to bring Heaven to Earth. We believe that the future is bright-that families will be restored, prodigals will return home, the sick will be healed, the nations will become righteous, the bride of Christ will take her place, and Jesus will get the full reward of His suffering.
As we steward our role in this mission, we are preparing an apostolic center to equip the saints for the work that God has set before us around the world. We respond to His call to arise and build–beyond a structural building, it is His people that make up a church. Let us lay the foundations to prepare a launching site for the generations of faith-filled believers to come. We are gathering towards one vision of preparing a new wineskin for God to release the greater measure of His glory upon the earth.
As seasons change, our mandate remains the same. We are a people in pursuit of the increased manifestation of His presence, believing that we will see freedom, abundant life, and fullness of joy manifest on earth, We invite you to join us in prayer and with your generosity as we answer the call of the future-of global, multigenerational, unending revival, and the equipping of the saints to make Earth look like Heaven.
Many Blessings,
Bill Johnson
Senior Leader
THINGS WORTH NOTING.
HERETICAL LATTER RAIN CONNECTIONS.
“Simple mandate for more that 70 years”
Bethel has not been around for seventy years. However, this statement does link Bethel to the New Order of the Latter Rain (NOLR) (1947-8), heretical theology being reflected in this letter with Johnson’s emphasis on “face-to-face in personal and becoming co-laborers to see salvations, miracles, signs, and wonders” and “revival–the personal, regional, and global expansion of God’s kingdom through His manifest presence.” These are all references to the bigger problem with Bethel and the NOLR: the Dominion Gospel.
This is why Johnson erroneously asserts: “The Great Commission is an open invitation to us all, to lean in and partner with God to bring Heaven to Earth.” This language is advocating for the New Apostolic Reformation dominionist gospel. It is not the preaching of the Christian gospel Johnson advocates, it is the idea that believers can mystically advance the kingdom of God through God’s “manifest presence” thus imposing an unbiblical dominionist agenda so that the “nations will become righteous” and “the bride of Christ will take her place”. The latter language is concerning as Johnson appears to insists that NAR cults like his own are still hell-bent on taking over the visible church with its ‘apostles and prophets’.
So it comes as no surprise he insists in his letter that people take their “role in this mission,” in “preparing an apostolic center to equip the saints.”
You heard that right.
It’s interesting to note that Che Ahn has emphasised in the past that churches that are part of the New Apostolic Reformation are called “Apostolic Centers” and “New Wine Skin” churches, as he has labeled churches in the past, like Glory City Church in Australia. So it’s very revealing that Bill Johnson, who in the past has denied being part of the NAR, is using NAR language and theological concepts to identify this ‘church’.
And we know this is a NAR church he is building because the idea in this theology is that they want to receive the “new wine” for this “new wine skin” church. That is why Johnson goes on to say it is going “to release the greater measure of His glory upon the earth”, that is going to be a “global, multigenerational, unending revival, and the equipping of the saints to make Earth look like Heaven.”
This is dominionist fanaticism and it’s surprising to see him engage in such extremism like this in his ‘Rise&Build’ letter.
But here is the catch, why is Bill Johnson getting people to pay for it when he is already financially well off to pay to “lay the foundations” himself or to even build it entirely? So while he is saying “no” it’s interesting to read that he appears to enforce a “yes” on his followers – in order to pay for something he could do himself.
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“Have I then become your enemy by telling you the truth?” Galatians 4:16
Categories: Bethel "Church", New Apostolic Reformation (NAR)