The Law of the Angels

This is a book which exhibits an incongruence between the title and what the book actually talks about.  The title “The Law of The Angels” sounds rather mystical and interesting but, once you get into the book, there is very little written about angels.  The one reference I find to the title is on page 41 where, as the author is speaking about the different expressions of love, she injects the statement “This is angel law. This is the way the angels live.”  After this brief reference to angels, there is not much more on the subject of angels.  I have seen in certain blogs that some are saying that this book was re-titled upon reprinting and given the title “Love: The Law of The Angels.”  However, the 1979 edition I was able to obtain is simply titled “The Law of The Angels.”

It appears that the thesis of this book is to give the reader a broad overview of the subject of love and how love is to operate in the lives of Christians.  Then, upon giving a protracted and tedious definition of what love is supposed to be in the life of the Christian, the more subtle and actual core emphasis of the book comes out. 

Gwen Shaw in her book The Law of The Angels portrays love as a more feminine attribute than masculine and thus Shaw puts forth the thesis that the Christian women of the world are spiritually superior to the Christian men of the world. And, because women are more spiritually sensitive than men, then by function women can be used by God to express His love to the world more than can be accomplished through “insensitive men.”

I realized that I needed to activate my theological radar defense shield (discernment of spirits) when on page VII of the Introduction we see Shaw say “I wish I could say that my own love is perfect, or that I myself had attained unto the high degree of perfection which you will find in the pages of this book.  These are truths that God has made known to me.” This type of posturing is something that I have become quite wary of lately.  As you will see shortly, Shaw’s statements were born out of false humility.

Before we get into the “love” part of the book, I do want to point out what I believe is another area of problematic theology in Shaw’s book.  It has to do with why Jesus was crucified and what was accomplished in the crucifixion.  On page 14 we see Shaw state “You see, the Law of Moses will never point anyone to the cross.  You know what the Law of Moses did?  It crucified Jesus.  Do you know that it was on the authority of the Law of Moses that the Jews crucified Jesus?”  One might ask why I see this as problematic.  It is troublesome because traditional and orthodox theology teaches us that the Law of Moses had the function of making mankind aware of his sin.  Then, we see that Jesus came to fulfill the requirements of the Law of Moses by offering Himself upon the Cross as a sacrifice for our sin.  And, it was Roman Soldiers who actually crucified Jesus by the insistence of the Jewish Scribes and Pharisees. I see this theological awkwardness as a product of Shaw’s hurried attempt to get straight to her main thesis of her book which appears to be the desire of God to express His love toward mankind, rather than judgment.

One other area to make note of before we get to the main thesis is that of the belief of the eternal existence of man’s spirit or what is known as the “pre-existence and transmigration of souls.” We see this on page 68 where Shaw states “Way back there in antiquity, in the origin of time, far beyond your known history or ability to recall, you were in the plan of God.  You are an eternal living spirit.  Your body is loaned to you for only a season of sojourn on Earth.  As an eternal being, you are without beginning or ending.  And back there, hidden in the midst of a million forgotten eons of time we stood in His glory, being part of His spirit, fashioned even then in His likeness, as He planned for us.  There He created us male and female.”

The above theology is extremely troublesome.  So, according to Shaw, “we always existed”, “we are part of God”, but yet God created us.  So, is God creating “part of Himself” or, what is going on here?

As troublesome as the already mentioned items are, the real “bombshell” of The Law of The Angels happens on page 111.  After having “put men in their place” on pages 72 and 73, we read on page 111 what Shaw is really trying to get the reader to believe.  On page 111, Shaw has been describing a vision she had of Eve praying and asking God to forgive her for her sin of disobedience in the Garden of Eden.  Eve is described as being very distraught and in much aguish before God.  Then, we see Shaw state “I saw how through the centuries, even after her transition (whatever that means), she had wept and cried to God the Father to be merciful to her sons and daughters.  She had interceded for our release and had been permitted to see that her prayers had not been in vain, her intercession had accomplished its goal and she had prayed through.  God is going to begin to show His glory to Eve’s children.  We have finished drinking the cup of our iniquity, our day of redemption is here now.  That is the reason God is using us handmaidens.  Somehow God is going to allow us to make up for our mother’s failure.  We not only want to bless and help our brothers return to the lost paradise, we want to return ourselves.  Oh, God help us!  Brothers, help us!  We need you and you need us!  We went out together and we must return together!…As women travail and intercede, they will be used by the Lord to restore all that has been lost through the fall.” 

So, there you have it.  God is going to use women to restore mankind to Himself.  But, what about the accomplished work of Jesus on the Cross?  Is it not complete?  Didn’t Jesus, through His sufferings and crucifixion restore all?  What was left undone?  What can woman do that has not been accomplished through and by the crucifixion?  If you think these questions are unfounded then, go on to page 115 and see Shaw state “I believe the Blood of Jesus is going to become more powerful in the end time.  More powerful than in the day it poured from His veins…”

If all of this is not a problem for you then, I must direct your attention to the most theologically explosive part of the entire book.  On pages 165 and 166 we see Shaw state “This feminine aspect of the eternal God is the El-Shaddai, the mother-nature of God.  It is in the realm that the Shekinah is revealed and does its high office work.  You will remember us mentioning in chapter 13 that God had created Adam male and female.  If God created man male and female, it was because bisexuality somehow belongs to His own nature.  The fact has been recognized by early rabbinic commentators that this is true.  One even concluded that God had made Adam androgynous, and later separated him into Adam and Eve.  Lantero states that it is recognized that while individuals belong to one sex or the other, we are all androgynous in the sense of having both male and female hormones, as well as potential character traits traditionally associated with both sexes.  This beautiful aspect of the mother nature of God is one which we need to meditate upon more. Why is it that the Glory of God,  His Shekinah, seems to be resting in greater magnitude on the daughters of Eve in this generation? This is very evident, not only in one country but in all the nations where I have worked for God, and especially where women have been permitted by their male elders to let God’s glory be borne witness of through their freedom to speak.  The women are the great intercessors, the fasters, the praisers, prophetesses, missionaries, healers, and they are fast becoming the deepest of teachers.” 

Finally, in reference to the above excerpt, on page 67, we see Shaw describe that when God first created Adam, that he was created with a womb, which God subsequently took out of Adam and used it to create Eve. 

The theology presented in Shaw’s book is simply shocking.  Gwen Shaw, in no uncertain terms, portrays Adam as having been created as an androgynous hermaphrodite.  She even says so in her book.  This depiction simply leaves one speechless.

Such theology by Gwen Shaw opens the door wide open for Satan to flood in with a horde of demonic spirits.  Shaw has theologically emasculated Christian men.  Shaw sets Christian women on a higher plane of greater power and importance than Christian men.  This is a Satanic doctrine.

This book is available through Amazon.com.

read comments (0)

Lakeland Florida

Looking out over the battlefield called Lakeland, I believe something good has come out of it all. Yes, something good has come out of Lakeland. I see the Body of Christ beginning to take charge of its future and I see the true men and women of God beginning to get their voice. Yes, the true servants of God are getting their voice. And, this is a very, very good thing.

For a change, it appears that the Body of Christ has initiated correction of itself from within. This is extremely encouraging. I think that the way the Body of Christ is handling this situation should be a model for dealing with future issues and disagreements within the Body of Christ. What I am trying to say is that the Body of Christ should be “policing” itself rather than asking non-Christian, government entities to get involved.

Specifically, one thing I see is that the IHOP/NAR/ICA apostolic/prophetic group has been exposed for what they truly are. This group is now in check and their stranglehold on the Body of Christ has been broken. It makes me want to shout! Too long have the many false prophets within these groups had their way. One can clearly see now, in the various editorials and rebuttals being written by them, that they are arrogant, and simply will not relent even in the face of truth.

I am hearing statements such as “everything that happens (happened) on the platform in Lakeland is/was scriptural”. This is simply not true. How arrogant, in light of all that has happened, that we would be asked to believe that everything that has gone on there is “scriptural”. I mean, is it scriptural for a person to shake their head back and forth in order to perform “portalling” between two portals? Show me, in the Bible, anywhere in the Bible where someone did this sort of thing. I’m waiting.

Furthermore, the “prophets” want us to respect their “prophecies” as coming from God. They expect us to believe that when they speak that they are speaking a direct word from God. OK, let’s go back to the prophecy that was spoken over Todd Bentley that stated that God had been “waiting for centuries” to “loosen” the anointing that we were seeing in Lakeland. And, let’s not forget all the other prophecies that were given that day. So, we are asked to believe that all of these prophets spoke for God, by the Holy Spirit, and that the words they spoke were true. And, don’t forget about all the talk of the “Third Wave”. And, the angels, uh, what was her name – “Emma”? But now look, just like that, it’s “lights out”. It is lights out for what was declared by the prophets to be the greatest anointing the world has seen in the last several centuries. It is lights out on the “Third Wave”. It is lights out for all of the angels, even “Emma”, where is she?

It is troublesome to see many who are still saying that this is/was one of the most powerful moves of God, ever. It was not. It is troublesome to see many who are still saying that we should not make any analysis of what has transpired because to do so (make an analysis) is to come against God and His anointing. How much of Lakeland was truly God’s anointing? It seems that one could more accurately compare much of what we have seen in Lakeland to the events surrounding Abihu and Nadab.

Let’s get one thing straight. You can do what you want as far as going in and out of portals, going around looking for gold dust and gems (plastic gems), you can writhe like a snake on the floor, you can wear t-shirts with snakes on them, you can taunt the truly discerning Christians, you can rebel against the counsel of elders, you can flirt with female angels, you can go on your “third heaven” trips and visit dead saints who tell you things, and you can even flail and flog yourself like the prophets of Baal on Mt Carmel. But, one thing you cannot do anymore is silence the truth. You can no longer silence the Christians who are truly led by the Holy Spirit. You can no longer quench the gift of discernment of spirits from operating within the Body of Christ.

Everyone knows that the Lakeland Revival was a fiasco. But, what concerns me more is that the Body of Christ could get fixated on and too focused on the aftermath of Lakeland and lose focus concerning the future and other more ominous things on the horizon. I sense that, as bad as Lakeland was, it may have been a “red herring” to distract the Body of Christ from something more dangerous that is developing in the not too distant future. I believe there are more powerful and more pervasive forces at work in the world that we should be aware of and that we need to get ready to face.

Also, the events and controversy swirling around Lakeland could, in a sense, be viewed as a red herring to get us distracted from the broader and more fundamental principles that have arisen. We should realize and understand now that we can legitimately express questions about what we are seeing without being disqualified from being a spiritual person. We can legitimately formulate an educated and informed opinion about a ministry without being accused of being anti-Christ. We can confidently point out what we believe to be doctrinal error without being ostracized within the Body of Christ.

We, as the Body of Christ, cannot allow ourselves to get “tied up” with Lakeland for the next several years and spend too much time sorting out what went wrong. We cannot allow Lakeland to define the agenda for the Body of Christ for the next 10 years. There isn’t enough time. There are far, far greater challenges ahead for the Body of Christ.

Publish Date: August 14, 2008

read comments (0)

There is a story in I Kings chapter 22 about two Kings of old who had a discussion between themselves concerning the prospect of going to war against an enemy. There was Ahab, the King of Israel and Jehoshaphat, the King of Judah. They consulted between themselves about combining forces to fight the Syrians. In the process of this meeting the prophets of Israel were summoned to give a word from the Lord about whether or not they should go into battle.

The story tells us that there were around 400 prophets gathered together. They all said “go up and fight” and they assured the Kings of victory should they pursue this campaign. Then, King Jehoshaphat makes a very striking statement and says “Is there not still a prophet of the Lord here, that we may inquire of him?”

Upon reading this, one might think “but wait a minute Jehoshaphat, there are 400 prophets here and they are all saying the same thing. And, now you are suggesting that all 400 of them might not be giving a true prophecy”. That is exactly what King Jehoshaphat was saying. In street vernacular, Jehoshaphat was saying “I don’t believe a word of any of these prophets. Go find me someone that I can trust is truly speaking a word from God.”

Then, in a theatrical way, one of the false prophets whose name was Zedekiah made a set of iron horns for himself. It is indicated that he “put them on” and began to act as a goring bull, full of force and rage, and in the process of acting this out, he states “With these you shall gore the Syrians until they are destroyed”.

But, King Jehoshaphat still wasn’t impressed. Finally, and reluctantly, King Ahab brings forth the prophet named Micaiah. In short order, Micaiah speaks the true word of the Lord and tells of a meeting in Heaven before the throne of God. At this meeting, God is looking for someone to deceive King Ahab in order to execute judgment against him. Lo and behold, the Lord God recruits a demonic spirit to deceive King Ahab. This demonic spirit is commissioned by God to go forth and be a “lying spirit” in the mouths of all the prophets of King Ahab. Notice the word all. All means all, not part of. So, if you are a student of the Bible, you know how this story plays out. Bad things happen to King Ahab. I encourage you to read this for yourself. It is a very, very good lesson in understanding how the spiritual realm operates.

Read the rest of this entry »

read comments (0)

I was meditating this morning about all that is going on in the Body of Christ and the Holy Spirit brought to my memory the time and the season of the Cabbage Patch Doll. Remember the Cabbage Patch Doll. Well, the Cabbage Patch Doll was a bizarre sort of looking thing that was very simply made and was so strange looking that it could momentarily appear to be even cute to the onlooker.

This particular doll became an overnight rave among a large stratum of our society. You had people camping out overnight at stores where shipments of these dolls had just arrived, hoping that upon store opening the following day, the camper might get to buy one. It was a sensational thing. It was a national thing. Even major news networks began covering the long lines that streamed outside through the parking lots of major department stores. There were interviews of waiting customers in which the customer was asked why he or she would go to such an extent to get something like a Cabbage Patch Doll. And, even worse, the customers would attempt to give a reasonable and logical answer.

Inside the stores it was worse as there were reports of some customers actually getting into physical confrontations with each other over the few remaining dolls that were left.

That was years ago. Today, ask a young person what a Cabbage Patch Doll is. Most won’t even know or at best will say “Oh, yea, I think I heard about that”. The Cabbage Patch Doll is but a distant memory and a reminder of a time when normal human beings had abandoned all reason and acted in a way that was quite irrational and unbecoming.

Read the rest of this entry »

read comments (0)