By Rick Becker 1 February 2018
What is it with some mortals in the visible church and their fascination with portals? Modern evangelicalism’s departure from scripture is the reason that we have “revelations” from God, using terminology usually associated with Star Trek or metaphysics. Not content with the word of God, some have conjured up new revelations that supposedly bring direction to the church, keys to revival, or as in this particular case, a claim to solve a water crisis.
At the outset, let’s debunk the theory that there are “spiritual portals.” There is no need for you to find your nearest portal because they do not exist. There is no portal in Cape Town, Bethel church, Patricia King’s living room, or any other geographical location.
Here is the reason portals are not necessary: “ And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit. And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom..” Matthew 27:50-51. The veil that separated us from the presence of God has been torn, and as a result every single believer has this privilege: “Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water” Hebrews 10:19-22
Every believer has Christ dwelling within them, so why search for your nearest (non existent) portal?
“Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!” 2 Corinthians 13:5
Joy Digital Magazine published this article, about the current water crisis in Cape Town. It is written “by Nicola Middleton, founder and president of Godbrands.” In this post we will dissect her revelation, and expose the flawed logic and false doctrine it contains.
Nicola writes: “As Day Zero draws ever nearer, I ask myself this: God why is this happening and what are your children supposed to do?…I sense that the water crisis in Cape Town is totally rooted in the spiritual.”
Well, it’s happening because of a few reasons. Low rainfall, over population, abuse of water resources, mismanagement and bad planning. If it’s purely rooted in the spiritual, that would mean we could waste water, empty the dams, and God would somehow miraculously keep all taps running. If the water crisis is due to drought alone, the only “spiritual” reason one can give is that Jesus himself warned of natural disasters (Matthew 24) He also warned of trying to spiritualize the reasons bad things happen: “There were some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And he answered them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” Luke 13:1-5
Nicola: “Things are birthed in the spiritual realm and manifest in the natural realm. This too we aren’t really awake to yet.”
Salvation would be an example of this, but not the water crisis in Cape Town.
Nicola: “And so here I sit, having an insight, I believe, into the spiritual reality, that I can see my human brothers and sisters don’t really comprehend yet. This matters, because it means that we aren’t yet doing the things we are supposed to be doing in order to work with the water crisis in Cape Town in the way that we are actually supposed to.”
What is this insight us fellow humans have overlooked; well apparently the fact that Cape Town is a “spiritual portal” has something to do with it.
Nicola: “Here is my answer when it comes to the water crisis in Cape Town. Cape Town is a spiritual portal. New things are ushered into the nation and the planet through Cape Town. It isn’t called “The Mother City” for nothing. A mother gives birth. And just like a mother in the natural gives birth to a natural child, so a mother in the spiritual, gives birth to a spiritual child. And in this case the spiritual mother is a city. Cities have energy on them…Cape Town’s anointing is to be a “Mother City” on the planet.”
I live in Cape Town, it’s a beautiful city, but it has no spiritual powers or portals. Scripture does not mention Cape Town, portals, or anointings over cities.
Nicola: “Cape Town is right now in the spiritual realm poised to give birth to “living waters”. Tsunami waves of love, healing and positive living are destined to flow in, through and out of Cape Town… I can feel that the spiritual energies of the city, in the hearts of the people, aren’t right yet, but much readiness is in place. We are poised for this move that is now upon us. Right now we appear to still be asleep. God, what will it take to wake us up? What will it take to make us understand and comprehend our own spiritual roles and how it really does matter what we think and how we align our own spirits?”
“I CAN FEEL” – that right there sums up what is wrong in the visible church. The subjective has taken precedence over the objective. The objective of course, being the word of God. Apparently “another move” is upon us, and once again it’s up to us to come into alignment. Our spiritual role is to come into alignment with scripture, not every wind of teaching that passes by. Reminder:
“Whatever the Lord pleases, he does, in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all deeps.” Psalm 135:6
Nicola: “I arrived just before New Year 2018 in the Cape. The night of my arrival I sat and reflected and received this in my spirit. My heart is as dry as this city. Question: Why is it dry? Answer: Because I am not receiving love to overflowing. I have an interesting relationship with God. I see and sense repeatedly how God is using me to feel and represent His heart in His world. I am founder and president of the business Godbrands, which is developing various spiritual brands for the world.”
Let’s examine Nicola’s “Godbrands.” Is it about the only living God, does it glorify him, is Jesus proclaimed? From Nicola’s Linkedin page:
Nicola: “The world has changed and is changing drastically right now. There is now a deeper spirit or energy bubbling up around the globe which profoundly enlivens and ignites the feminine heart and spirit”
No it has not changed, it’s still hurtling towards destruction, and instead of warning the world of the impending wrath of God, false teachers focus on self realization and restoration of the worlds systems.
Reminder: “.. when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might.” 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9
There is a spirit or energy that is at work around the world, but he is not enlivening or igniting feminine hearts and minds.
Reminder: “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience” Ephesians 2:1-2
“Nicola believes, as do many spiritual leaders, that there is a new energy flowing over our planet. It is a corrective energy based on the feminine psyche of love and nurture. Women who are open to these waves of energy are already making a strategic difference where they are, standing up and standing out.”
The only spiritual leaders that would agree with this statement, are leaders who do not believe in scripture. This is pure new age, similar to the heretical book “Physics of Heaven” by Bill Johnson & co.
“The more we, as the women of this planet, tap into this groundswell of spiritual feminine energy, the more we empower ourselves and the more we stand tall and strong from within self and stand strong together as a global sisterhood. I believe this is the remedial action most needed right now when we look at some of the negative courses the world is taking.”
Right..because God has released spiritual energy that women need to tap into and solve the negative issues in the world. They won’t, neither will men. The only solution for this world is the gospel, and we know that the majority of people will reject it. We also know the world and most of the visible church will continue along the path to destruction, not because we feel that is the case, but because scripture has foretold it.
“The reason we don’t yet have a world designed and built on love is that love does not fit into the boxes we have created for ourselves. The world we have designed is one where we assume everyone and everything must have a predefined box into which it fits. Love changes this. Women change this.”
The problem is not the way we designed the world, the problem is called sin. The only solution is God’s predefined box: it is called scripture. Love, women, portals and alignments will have no effect on a world that has rejected God. The gospel is the only beacon of hope for those who repent of their sins and are saved by grace through faith. Note that no mention is made of the gospel.
“Just as the masculine has a unique sound, the feminine also has a unique sound. When women converse and speak out, this sound comes to the fore and is able to drive life and truth into a world where confining boxes are longing to be broken….The more feminine energy released into the world, the more women we will naturally see in visible leadership positions and the faster the world will change for the better.”
Life and truth can only be found in Christ. This message is pure feminism. To read an article (Ten Lies of Feminism) click here.
Back to Nicola’s article in Joy Digital Magazine:
“The first and most important commandment is “Love God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength”. We aren’t even succeeding at the first commandment, because the world has trained us into wrong thinking and we are caught up in the cares of the world and also in living in a natural reality, rather than in the deeper and more real, spiritual reality. So, God’s children aren’t loving Him back. His heart is dried up. Now the waters of the Mother City are also drying up. And the waters of Nicola’s heart are drying up. And God gave me the mandate to tell all the women of the world to BE LOVE, through the brand called Kingdom Mums, one of the brands Godbrands is busy developing.”
The almighty and self sufficient God has apparently fallen. In the words of A W Tozer:
“Almighty God, just because He is almighty, needs no support. The picture of a nervous, ingratiating God fawning over men to win their favor is not a pleasant one; yet if we look at the popular conception of God, that is precisely what we see.
Twentieth Century Christianity has put God on charity. So lofty is our opinion of ourselves that we find it quite easy, not to say enjoyable, to believe that we are necessary to God. But the truth is that God is not greater for our being, nor would He be less if we did not exist. That we do exist is altogether of God’s free determination, not by our desert nor by divine necessity.” A W Tozer, Knowledge Of The Holy.
Nicola: “From this vantage point I see and experience how the women aren’t yet “catching” their own identity, their anointing, their true essence and the now time where we are called to rise up as the spiritual mothers of the planet doing the work of love and spiritual motherhood for the whole earth.”
Ladies, your “anointing” is the same as every other believer in Christ, male or female.
Nicola: “I believe it is Love energy flowing freely and in ever increasing measure through us, that will release the natural waters to flow in Cape Town. It is Capetonians waking up and deciding on masse to live right and aligned to Love and to God. That’s what needs to happen now. The spiritual energy blockage must be removed and then the natural energy (ie rain) blockage will also be removed.”
We don’t possess love energy; believers manifest the fruit of the Spirit. If every believer in Cape Town could display the fruit of love towards their neighbour, God is still not obliged to bring rain. The only nation that was guaranteed physical blessing was Israel under the old covenant. Promises came with conditions: blessings for obedience, captivity, famine, death for disobedience – not exactly a covenant you would want to be under. Woven throughout this revelation we find yet gain, the teachings of the New Apostolic Reformation, with a bit of new age thrown in.
“Spiritual and natural energies are aligned, whether for right or wrong. If we align ourselves right, then our energies in the spiritual realm will release the right energies in the natural realm. Let’s make it all open, good, positive, right, true and pure. Then watch the rains arrive freely and joyfully in Cape Town, the Mother City. Let’s make God’s heart happy and let’s make Cape Town happy.”
Jesus was never concerned with making people happy; in fact he made it his duty to explain to people they they would have to lay aside what made them happy in order to follow him. Tradition, earthly comfort and gain, friendships, family, long term plans – all of these were to be surrendered to the master.
Nicola: “If we understand the parallel worlds of spirit and natural, then isn’t it obvious that we are looking at a spiritual blockage and it’s one we can collectively unblock if we have the will to do so and we collectively decide that we now choose God and His way above all else for real and then we ACT right to manifest it inside ourselves.”
No, it’s not obvious because it’s not true. She is spiritualizing a water crisis and placing us back under the law
Nicola: “God’s world tells us to keep ourselves pure and not to practice all kinds of magic arts, sorcery and divination. I personally am aware of how the natural waters at the foot of Table Mountain itself are being used in both pure and impure spiritual ways. The impurities have to stop if we want to have the very best that God has for us.”
Yes God’s word tells us (believers) to avoid evil, but those without Christ will continue in their impurity and any pagans using Table Mountain’s stream water will continue to do so. If we want God’s very best for us, then we should ignore pagans using stream water for their rituals, and focus on what scripture teaches regarding God’s best for us. His best for us has nothing to do with ample water for Capetonians or having a positive, happy and loving vibe in our city. His best for us is conforming us into the image of his son, and we will face many trials and tribulations in this world.
Nicola: “My prayer goes now for all lack of education and the immaturity, the lack of understanding and comprehension to end immediately. I also pray for God to be completely unboxed from religion so all can access Him in their own unique way and time, with no obstacles, confusion or limitations placed on the individual’s journey. I pray this and I declare that this world is now entirely free in spirit and in the natural, in Jesus Name. Amen.”
God apparently needs our prayers; this would mean he is not God. It’s actually quite sad that someone can have such a low view of God. God will never be “unboxed” from his own word. Furthermore, there is no “unique way” to access him as the way is clearly laid out in scripture: repentance and faith in Christ. Have you noticed that all of a sudden, since the declaration was made, the world is suddenly “free in the spirit and the natural?” Me neither, that is because only God can decree and declare things into existence. Here is the obstacle that is preventing people from accessing God:
“Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.” Romans 2:4-5
Nicola: “Lord, may we now align and instantly “catch” what we are supposed to do in Cape Town”
Our household aligned with the water restrictions in Cape Town, and we are catching all the water we can to recycle it. Apart from that, we are supposed to live for Christ by denying self, picking up our cross, and preaching the gospel.
Nicola: “Lord, bring now the natural rains and make them fully connected to the deep inner heart and mind work we are doing within ourselves and trigger that each individual is responsible for this work insides themselves and they know it. Lord, if we move away from what is right, you know it. Please admonish us by stopping the natural rains. Let this connection now forever be in place and let us be spiritually awake and alert at all times. We have no excuses. We align, we have rain. We move away from God, we misalign, then both the spiritual living waters and the natural waters dry up.
It is up to us to choose right and to keep choosing right. Now it is so, in Jesus Name. Forever and ever. Amen.”
No, no amen from me because I’d hate to be back under the law. It just so happened that while compiling this article, I tuned into an Angus Buchan sermon preached at Shofar church in Stellenbosch. He echoed this sentiment that rain will come when we are right before the Lord. In his usual style, Angus whipped up his audience with stories, and then proclaimed: “God is not happy with Cape Town…if there’s no repentance in this city, there’s no rain”
Wrong! This is flawed logic and bad doctrine. Cape Town is not in a covenant with God, neither is South Africa. Why spiritualize the water crisis in Cape Town? Have other cities in South Africa repented? How have they repented and who needed to repent? – just the believers? Keep in mind believers cannot repent on behalf of their cities, nation or the unsaved. If God only gave rain to cities that deserved it, not an ounce of rain would ever fall on the earth. Can Angus explain this verse: “For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the UNJUST” Matt 5:45
or this verse:
“In past generations he allowed all the nations to walk in their own ways. Yet he did not leave himself without witness, for he did good by giving you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness” Acts 14:16-17
Sure I’ll pray for rain, but that’s up to God. If the citizens of our city continue to waste water, if our government continues to mismanage infrastructure and resources, then we will pay the price. God’s agenda does not include creating happy, positive cities with sufficient natural resources. The real drought we should be concerned with is similar to the warning given through Amos:
“Behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord GOD, “when I will send a famine on the land— not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD.” Amos 8:11