What is Dominionism, Kingdom now?

Dominionism is found in the early roots of Reconstructionists, most attribute it to R.J. Rushdoony, who find their teachings in mostly extreme Calvinist theologies, Kingdom dominionism is the Pentecostal or charismatic version.

Genesis 1:26-29. where God says to man, "Be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth."  

Man being of a higher order of creation, made in His image, has been given dominion over everything on the earth. They believe this still applies before Christ returns. It is up to the church to fulfill this commission.  They teach when Adam sinned he lost to Satan the dominion given to him by God. This dominion is restored in Christ. The church- Christs representative, as his body on earth while he is gone are then to take dominion over the media, schools, and governments to rule earth, setting up God's kingdom (this is where the 7 mountains is based on).

Christ cannot return until the Church has established dominion over the nations. The Great Commission of Matthew 28 is reinterpreted as a restatement in New Covenant terms of this original "dominion mandate" given to man. This is what the New apostolic reform is about.

The Gospel of Salvation is achieved by setting up the “Kingdom of God” as a literal and physical kingdom to be “advanced” on earth in the present age.  Dominionism finds its verification also with Israel in the Old Testament, that the nations can become theocracies.  Dominion Theology teaches that we are to have a kingdom of God on earth even before Jesus' physical return and his ruling in Jerusalem. The church's job is to not just preach the gospel and disciple people, but take over structures of the world system or make whole nations Christian- (redeem cultures).

Postmillennialism and Dominionism are hard to distinguish as they are fused into one system of belief through the Third Wave by the Latter Rain Pentecostals and Charismatics.

An emphasis is placed on man’s efforts; the doctrine of the sovereignty of God in fulfilling prophecy is diminished. The domininists have plans or strategies to solve the problems in the world: they use spiritual warfare to bind the demons over areas. So they can solve problems like poverty and disease, (which will not be solved until Jesus Christ returns.) 

Scripture does not teach that things will continue to get better and better before the return of Jesus Christ, instead they will get worse and worse. Jesus explained this by relating the end to being “as the days of Noah.” An increase in lawlessness because the restraint is removed. If this is not found in ones end time view they can easily find themselves believing in today’s dominionism which have been popularized in the church.

Christ has no need to rapture His people because they will be victorious here on earth. Some see Jesus Christ does not coming back bodily but returns "in His Church" and reigns on earth through His Church spiritually. There are various assorted views, within this teaching there are branches from the Latter Rain teachings of the early 1.900’s and 1940’ and 1980’s. Revival theology denies the "great apostasy" that must take place before Jesus' return and a literal antichrist appearing. They believe that believers can “incarnate” Christ and function as His body on Earth to establish His kingdom rule. The Manifest Sons of God doctrine, where they believe the world will be brought into subjection to Christ through a miracle working army. Rom. 8:19-23 The whole earth groans, waiting for the manifestation of the sons of God – is interpreted as the whole creation awaits the godly dominion of the New Creation saints – the sons of God just like Jesus- immortal invincible, before he returns. Jesus cannot return until there is a remnant of believers transformed to be a miracle working army- called "Joel's Army". 

Any view that denies that Jesus will return bodily to rule and judge is a false view, not a Bible view.

The Rapture has been abandoned for earthly “triumphalism” and Christianizing the world. This is all part of the falling away, as it diminishes our preparing and watching for His coming. Without the rapture the living saints are not translated with the dead saints in the resurrection. The new emphasis is the Church taking over the world, bringing the kingdom of God on earth. The focus has turned from winning souls for citizenship in heaven to political and social action aimed at cleaning up society and Christianizing the culture and nations.

Furthermore, the second coming of Christ is a cornerstone of Biblical doctrine. You are not orthodox or evangelical unless you believe Jesus is coming back bodily to rule and reign from Jerusalem. 

The problem they overlook is this: when Christ returns at the second coming, the world will not be under the control of the church but of the antichrist

Psalm 2:7-8 “The LORD has said to Me, ‘You are My Son, today I have begotten You. Ask of Me, and I will give You the nations for Your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for Your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron; you shall dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel.’”

There are those who rip this Scripture out of its context and say God has given us (the church) the nations, but  clearly this is God the Father speaking to his only begotten Son. What they are doing is taking a promise to Jesus and attributing it to themselves. This is the furthest thing from humility and is pure arrogance. 

Daniel sees the Messiah destroy this kingdom that exists when he returns, “a stone was cut out without hands, which struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces” (Daniel 2:34-35). It is the anti-Christ’s kingdom that will be destroyed by the word of His mouth and glory (Isaiah 11:4; 2 Thessalonians 2:8). It is the stone cut out of the mountain without hands that destroys this last kingdom of man.

“And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed…it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms” (Daniel 2:44). Revelation 2:27 says of the Messiah “He shall rule them with a rod of iron; they shall be dashed to pieces like the potter’s vessels,’” this is from the end of Ps. 2:8

Those ruling the earthly kingdom when He comes will be broken like clay vessels. Why? Because it is NOT His kingdom. Clearly there is no Church government ruling when Christ comes back. The apostasy fits in perfectly with the “kingdom” now scenario, since some of its proponents want to set up God’s kingdom to rule over the nations now, without Christ physically being here.  

His kingdom comes with his physical appearing, and with judgment as well as a blessing (Matthew 25:31-34). He will rule from Israel for 1,000 years and the saints will co-reign under Him over the people that survive the Tribulation and the judgment of Christ in Mt.25. This is the “true kingdom” that will come on earth, a literal kingdom that we are to be patiently waiting for the king to establish in His timing.  Paul spoke of this Kingdom in a future tense (1 Corinthians 6:9; 15:50; Galatians 5:21; Ephesians 5:5). 2 Peter 1:10-11 also speaks of the Kingdom in a future tense.

Christianizing the world and destroying Satan's kingdom before Jesus comes back is not a Bible doctrine and is impossible to accomplish by redeemed man who still has a sinful nature. Satan will be the ruler of this world UNTIL Jesus comes back.

The church has never been given a mission to change the world and “Christianize it,” but rescue people out from it. It is not God’s plan for the Church to take over and implement dominion over this present evil world before He returns. We have much to much confidence in ourselves and very little in God’s prophetic plan. We need to see it as it is written. The world is getting worse and no sanctified earthly or spiritual government of man will turn it around no matter how good their intentions may be. To reign over a kingdom they establish in his name is unknowingly to prepare the earth for the Antichrist who will rule first, before Christ comes to set up His Kingdom on earth. If one eliminates this crucial understanding of the last days he will have no defense against the coming deception that has begun to sweep the earth and trap its inhabitants for “the testing” and God’s judgments.

2 Peter 3:3-5: states “knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, and saying, ‘Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation. “For this they willfully forget: that by the Word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water.”

When we think of mockers we think of atheists, or skeptics scoffing at the creation account, but this is not whom Peter is addressing. These are people familiar with the Scriptures -- they point to the fathers of the faith sleeping, which is the biblical word for the bodies of the dead resting. But Peter points out they intentionally ignore the fact of judgment coming; they are oblivious to it. In other words it has to do with those who have died and are waiting for the resurrection.  They question that becomes apparent is:  if Jesus was coming why has it not happened already? This reminds me of when Moses went up on Mt. Sinai for 40 days and the people got restless and had Aaron build an idol calling it their deliverer from Egypt.

Peter describes them saying, “all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.” They believe in the Bibles account to some extent! This certainly fits the kind of “kingdom dominion” teaching we see today.

Jesus has not come back, so we need to do something! It also says they are “walking according to their own desires.” They become impatient, let’s take over for him since He has not returned. It is their desire to rule, not God’s command to do this. and Peter sternly warns how they willfully forget in much the same way as Romans 1 warns they exchanged the truth for the Lie.