From the book by George Otis Jr: The Last of the Giants: Lifting the Veil on Islam and the End Time, Chosen Books, 1991.
Mr. Otis' wrote The God They Never Knew in 1978, but as can be seen from the quotes below, apparently the leaven of his theological system is still present, although hidden from the awareness of the reader who is not aware of what Otis believes. If you have any comments or added insights, please send them by email. promo777
"The Church of Jesus Christ is God's primary instrument of revelation on earth today. And while we may occasionally find this fact intimidating, our mandate leaves no room for passive or reactionary tendencies. As the people of God we are meant to lead the parade of history. The question is, do we know where we are meant to go?" p. 34 [If we are walking with the Lord as His disciples we shouldn't be intimidated. He is the Way, the Truth and the Life and those who follow Him do not walk in darkness. His already established Word is a lamp unto our feet. It seems all this contemporary emphasis on "new revelation" brings us under the umbrella of human, fallible authority, instead of pointing us to the "old revelation" and making us the disciples of Christ. Perhaps the gist of it is that Mr. Otis wants us to become his disciples. Instead of letting God teach us about Otis with the Word, we must now let Otis teach us about God without the Word.]
"First, Satan and his minions have been accomplished practitioners of the art of spiritual warfare from before the foundations of the earth -- in other words, long before any of us were even familiar with the term." p. 39 [This would seem to imply that we should stay clear of "new revelations" and stick with the old -- doubly so since we know that in the last days there will be deception like never before in history. If Otis is coming up with new spiritual warfare principles, how does he know that they are not from Satan instead of from God? Perhaps Satan receives the Otis'-style warfare emphasis as praise to his own deceiving and destructive power! Is there a problem with the principles God gave us in the "old revelation"? If these new warfare principles really work, why has Otis had to twist the facts to support them in his latest emphasis? See Transformations or Deception?]
"One of God's ways is obedience [sic! Obedience to us, or what?], and even though we may be armed with an accurate understanding of the times and our current field of conflict, we cannot afford to march into battle on our own orders." p. 40 [This statement doesn't make much sense to the person who hears God's voice clearly in the Scriptures. Hasn't God given us sufficiently clear "marching orders" in His Word.]
"Fortunately, while the Bible reveals that knowledge will increase in the last days, it nowhere suggests that this knowledge will be the exclusive domain of unbelievers. In fact, Joel 2 affirms God's intent to release unique understanding and power to, and through, His people during this time." p. 41 [Read The Biblical Basis for Modern Science by Dr. Henry Morris (Baker, 1984) and it is clear that much of modern science is based on and grew out of the "old" revelation of Scripture. Many of the best modern inventions came through believers who held a biblical view of the universe and both believers and non-believers benefit from their inventions. Believers also benefit from and are partakers of the new knowledge gained by unbelievers. The only part of Joel 2 that talks about new knowledge is in verses 28-32 and Peter spoke about it in Acts chapter two, making reference to the events of the day of Pentecost. We are still in the last days and there are still reports of dreams and visions which have caused people to become Christians, have delivered people from martyrdom, etc.; but it is very high-risk territory to begin obtaining "new spiritual truths" during a time when new cults and sects are springing into existence every day as people willingly follow the seers, dreamers, visionaries and receivers of the latest revelations "from God."]
"When asked why he had left Christianity for Islam, the imam (who is black) replied: 'Islam offers a way for emasculated men to become something. Christianity, on the other hand, is a welfare religion -- Jesus paid it all -- and my people don't need that." [a quote by Otis from a conversation he had with Dr. Ray Bakke] p. 77 [This "not so subtle" slam about Jesus paying for our sins supposedly came from Dr. Ray Bakke, and it probably did, but it is very unusual that this "imam" has the same theology as Otis, and then he gets coincidentally quoted by Otis in his book. See Otis in The God They Never Knew.]
"This is not to say the Church has no enemies. Indeed, her enemies are many, and they are ruthless. But as they are not born of flesh and blood, they may be discerned and engaged only by those who have learned the language and secrets of the spiritual dimension." p. 80
"This new way of seeing I have labeled spiritual mapping." [emphasis by original author] p. 85 [See Transformations or Deception? If Otis were in the early church when Scripture truth was being established and credibility was so important, he would perhaps be laying in a heap with Ananias and Sapphira!]
"In some instances, no outward clues at all can account for our inner restlessness. While some individuals elect to shrug off these negative feelings as subjective mood swings, more and more Christians are coming to the realization that what they are experiencing is related directly to the presence and influence of unseen territorial spirits." p. 87
"According to Fuller Seminary professor C. Peter Wagner, the reason so little is known about this widespread and ancient phenomenon is simply that 'spiritual territoriality has not been a prominent issue for theologians and biblical scholars through the years.' Obviously hoping to reverse this trend, Wagner has written a book on the subject suggesting that Satan delegates high-ranking evil spirits to control nations, regions, cities, tribes, people groups, neighborhoods and other significant social networks. The major assignment of these demonic powers, Wagner believes, 'is to prevent God from being glorified in their territory.'" p. 87
"Because all human peoples belong to God initially by right of fatherhood, Satan has no automatic control over them. Unless individuals give themselves over to the rulership of Satan willingly, they will remain under the tender influence of the Holy Spirit." [Really!!?? To understand Mr. Otis' statement here, one must realize that he does not believe there is a sinful nature, except by force of "habit."] p. 88
"And as real and meaningful as these systems appear to men, Satan knows they are no more authentic than that conjured by the Wizard of Oz. His sole intent -- achieved through deceptive, behind-the-scenes manipulation -- is to make the fantasy credible. Thus, when the ancient Greeks sought wisdom through the Oracles of Delphi, he accommodated them. When the Germans began dreaming of the Third Reich, he dazzled them through 'anointed' speeches of Joseph Goebbels and Adolf Hitler. As millions of Africans, Tibetans, Arabs and Haitians searched for supernatural power to help them cope with life's problems, he provided it in a potent array of shamans, marabouts and gurus." p. 88
In the Old Testament, God was acutely aware of the dangers inherent in human kingdoms, and for this very reason labored to persuade the Israelites to forgo an earthly king in favor of His direct supernatural leadership. At the heart of His concern was the knowledge that man-inspired initiatives turn quickly into manmade substitutes -- idolatrous doorways through which demonic agents access societies and inflict spiritual bondage. Oblivious to these infiltrations, modern man has become prey to the dark side of his own house: the capitalist to his materialism, the Communist to his totalitarianism and the Muslim to either fundamentalism or spiritism." p. 89
"At some time, in one fashion or another, human beings welcomed evil spirits to dwell among them." p. 89
"In most of these enemy strongholds, the scope and intensity of demonic control seem to exist in direct proportion to the explicitness of the original welcome, and to the care taken to sustain the spiritual allegiance through various festivals, rites and pilgrimages." p. 89
"The trick is determining precisely where this real power is concentrated. For Christians the focal point is nothing less than satanic command and control centers: evil principalities that are responsible for deploying demonic legions throughout the world. In scriptural parlance, the act of pinpointing -- and then neutralizing -- these strategic enemy command posts is known as 'binding the strongman.'" p. 93
[After listing "Captive Strongholds" and "Frontier Strongholds"] "From here it is up to each of us to research and establish our own assignments. By doing our homework, not only do we acknowledge the incomparable power of prayer to demolish strongholds, but we also avoid wasting valuable spiritual ammunition on inconsequential or phantom targets." p.95
"Eden, which means 'Delight,' was the site where God first set up camp on this earth. It was, in many respects, His Garden of Dreams -- a magical place, devoid of sin, where He walked with man and shared His heart and ways. Here God handed out man's first mandate, or commission: to be representatives of His Kingdom order in the earth [emphasis by original author]. Out of this place called Delight, through Adam and Eve and their offspring, the knowledge and blessing of God was to flow into all the earth." p. 99
"And while Adam and Eve's moral breakdown led to their banishment from Eden, there is no indication in Scripture that the serpent went with them." p. 99
"At the same time, as we proceed to examine more closely the historical and operational intricacies of this stronghold, readers should bear in mind that while God expects us to be vigilant and sober-minded about such things, He does not want us to be fearful or unduly impressed. While the Bible does not whitewash the fact that there is evil in the world, neither does it speak of it in triumphal terms. In the end, all malign spiritual forces will be subject to the awesome power and righteous judgment of the Almighty. Even now, as we shall discover in chapter 7, the victorious strategies of God are unfolding apace in and around the seat of Satan." p. 100
Its a shame to even speak of what they do in darkness as Otis does at length in Chapter 5
"Such paroxysms of anger and violence, while undeniably destructive, are also demonstrations of satanic futility. They are the cheap shots inflicted by a frustrated player in the waning moments of a lost contest, the gratuitous massacre ordered from the fuerher-bunker [emphasis by original author] as the Allies close in on Berlin. The truth is, as Satan scans intelligence reports on his battlefield operations, he has plenty of cause for concern." p. 143
"Up until this point, from a satanic perspective, things had not gone altogether badly. Occasional disappointments such as the Reformation and the arrival of the Gospel in the Americas were to be expected. The important thing was that, from the standpoint of global geography and momentum, Christianity was still fairly contained." p. 144
"In Islamic Indonesia, the percentage of Christians is so high the government will not print the statistics -- which is probably nearing 25 percent of the population." p. 146 [Quoted from A. D. 2000 and Beyond, Vol. 1, No. 5, November-December 1990.]
"Among the more striking of these signs [of "a time of final harvest before the onset of winter darkness"] are several that we have alluded to earlier: 1) a dramatic realignment of spiritual and political forces in the earth; 2) an unprecedented mobilization of missionary plans and personnel; and 3) a noteworthy increase in supernatural signs and wonders." p. 161
"That God would in the end lead His Church full-circle back to Eden is more than just poetic; it is also logical. For it is from this site that Satan's original lie has resonated throughout the earth for thousands of years. Having usurped the paradise originally intended for mankind, it makes sense that the serpent will eventually be defeated on that selfsame soil by the offspring of God's banished children -- back to fulfill, in inverse fashion, their original mandate to extend God's Kingdom throughout the earth." p. 161
"Another development that has undoubtedly caused great alarm in Satan's camp of late relates to the recent dramatic rise in supernatural power encounters among Muslims. . . .39" p. 156
"There is evidence that God has moved in a supernatural fashion among Muslims for many centuries. The point being stressed here is simply that, in recent years, this activity has apparently surged." [footnote 39, p. 165]
"The fact that Gog is identified as the chief prince of a specific region and also appears as a warlike mobilizer in different eras leads us to another intriguing theory: Neither man nor symbol, Gog is rather a territorial strongman [emphasis in original] that rules over the lands and peoples of Magog, Meshech and Tubal -- a geographical belt that presently encompasses portions of Turkey, Iraq, Iran and the Soviet Union. If this theory is correct, then the spirit of Gog -- totalitarianism -- has incarnated various human vessels in the region over the course of many centuries." p. 212
"If our spiritual ambitions and institutions are to survive the raging storms of the future, we must first toss overboard all notions of inevitability. If we are going to sink, then there is no reason even to start our engines, let alone try to replace our navigational instruments. Inevitability removes incentive, which, in turn, erodes motivation. If people are convinced their actions will not make a real difference, they simply will not bother -- even for God." p. 225
"No matter how big or venerable they are, denominations, misson agencies and local churches that fail to adjust to the sweeping changes ushered in by the 1980s will, quite simply, fail to thrive in the 1990s.
"Recognizing this fact, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, for one, made a major course adjustment in their missions strategy in 1988 by deciding to significantly upgrade their witness to Muslims. One of the chief drafters of the new policy, Dr. Mark Thomsen, declared: 'If you can't adapt, you might as well stay home. A static church without the capacity to adapt is incapable of significant participation in the mission of God.'" [Quoted from The Lutheran, Nov. 23, 1988] p.225 [Mr. Otis should also point out that the ELCA denomination denies the inerrancy of Scripture and is adapting well to homosexually and lesbianism.]
"Today's 'bad reports' are released not by atheists or moral derelicts but by well-meaning Christian relatives, pastors and youth leaders, Bible school professors and various mission boards and committees." p. 264 [This idea of "not bringing bad reports like the spies did when they visited the promised land" has been at the foundation for numerous misrepresentations by zealous, idealistic mission organizations!]
"God's strategy in reclaiming His fallen creation is decidedly aggressive: Rather than wait for captive souls to petition for liberation, He dispatches His servants instead on extensive search-and-rescue missions." p. 264
Source: http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Acropolis/1082/Otislevn.htm
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