A Serial Book Review & Theological Interaction:
Part 1
Part 1
By Pastor Larry DeBruyn
 |
Judy Franklin, Ellyn Davis and others, The
Physics of Heaven: Exploring God’s Mysteries of Sound, Light, Energy,
Vibrations and Quantum Physics (Crossville, TN: Double Portion Publishing,
2012): xiv + 188.
Introduction
Canst
thou by searching find out God?
canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection?
It is as high as heaven;
what canst thou do?
deeper than hell;
what canst thou know?
canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection?
It is as high as heaven;
what canst thou do?
deeper than hell;
what canst thou know?
Zophar
to Job, Job 11:7-8, KJV
Beginning about the time of Albert Einstein (1879-1955),
Quantum or theoretical physics has influenced the way people view life’s reality.
Whereas “the old physics,” championed by Sir Isaac Newton (1643-1727), assumed
that the infinite universe worked like “a clock”—an ordered and predictable
cosmos—“the new physics” observes an infinitesimal universe playing
itself out like “a game”—a disordered and unpredictable chaos. So in a “blended system” where
cosmos and chaos are ever interacting at reality’s macro and micro levels (“as
above, so below”), it’s theorized that a butterfly flapping its wings in Africa
could stimulate the formation of a hurricane in the Atlantic. This new science,
or theoretical way of “observing” the universe has caused many within Christendom,
even claimed evangelicals, to adapt their faith to it.[1]
From the Quantum way of looking at reality have emerged
theological movements such as Process Theology and Free Will or Open Theism.[2] All
these belief systems favor a theological paradigm that de-emphasizes God’s sovereign
transcendence (God is holy and therefore apart from His creation.) on the
one hand, while emphasizing God’s subjugated immanence (God is unholy
and not apart from nature.) on the other. But now others in evangelicalism’s “big
tent” are slanting their Christian belief system to a Quantum worldview in
another way.
Whereas the former theological adaptations (Process Theology
and Open Theism) assert God’s overall impotence as regards the overall
functioning and outcome of the universe, some within the Charismatic movement
are asserting that a Quantum merger is taking place between the powers heaven
and the energies of earth. They claim that this merger will soon be exhibited
in the happening of a second Pentecost in which Spirit filled and transformed Christians
will play a “strategic role in releasing the glory of God on earth,” which
means that by their exhibition of powers they will introduce earth to God’s kingdom.
No longer will Christians have to pray for God’s kingdom to come (Matthew
6:10). Rather, by exercising supernatural powers bestowed at the coming
planetary Pentecost, they will help God to introduce earth to heaven (“as above, so below”).
The Book’s Thesis: A Coming Planetary Pentecost
The authors believe another Pentecost, a worldwide revival, looms
over earth’s history (The first is recorded in Acts 2:1 ff.). It will be led by
adventuresome souls, brave discoverers who are unafraid to explore spiritual
territories beyond the “flat-earth spirituality” believed by the overwhelming majority
of “stay-at-home” Christians. God’s Spirit will transform and enable these coming
revivalists to tap into and harness the Quantum energy inherent within God’s
created universe—sound, light, energy, frequencies and vibrations—which in
turn, will enable the revivalists, by their performing “signs and wonders,” to introduce
the earth to God’s kingdom.
The authors also believe that as their souls are synchronized with
the “sound” of nature’s Quantum powers (“And suddenly there came a sound
from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind...,” Emphasis added, Acts 2:2, NKJV),
this second Pentecost will transform and empower these brave Christians who have
dared to live on the “cutting edge” of God’s kingdom. Through experiencing visions
and having prophetic revelations, these brave adventurers will explore and tap into
the powers residing in Quantum world. By their endowment with supernatural powers,
these stalwarts of the faith, these seer/scientists, will like Jesus (Mark
4:39) and before a watching world, command tsunamis, hurricanes, tornadoes,
floods, wildfires, earthquakes and other natural disasters to cease. (The
Physics of Heaven, viii-ix)[3] The public
demonstration of raw Pentecostal power, this “new sound,” will be so evident “that
unbelievers [will] run to [believers] begging to receive what they have.” By
the droves, unbelievers will covet and beg to receive the new Pentecostal power
and “the greatest revival the world has ever known” will take place.[4] (TPOH,
ix)
A Serial Series
Over the coming weeks, we at Herescope and Guarding
His flock Ministries will intermittently attempt to bring a biblical,
exegetical and theological analysis of the worldview The Physics of Heaven
and its various authors exhibit. At least eleven authors agree that a second
planetary Pentecost looms on the horizon of earth’s history, and this coming Pentecost
will usher in the kingdom of heaven on earth and bring revival to the world. In
future installments (Lord willing), brief and concise analysis will be devoted
to each of the book’s chapters contributed by various authors. But in this
installment, we begin by interacting with materials contained in the book’s Front
Matters (TPOH, i.-xiv).
The Copyright Statement
The book claims that Scripture quotations, unless otherwise
noted, are taken from the New King James Version (NKJV). The careful reader
can note that contrary to the copyright notice, some Scripture citations,
sometimes self-paraphrased, reworded, misquoted or unattributed to another
version of the Bible, are not taken from the NKJV, but from the New American
Standard Bible (TPOH, p. vii., 1 Corinthians 15:46; p.
1, Romans 8:18-22; p. 11, Jeremiah 15:19; etc.). The notice that
all Scripture quotations, unless otherwise noted are from the NKJV is
misleading.
Acknowledgements
The list of contributors reads like a Who’s Who within the
New Apostolic Reformation movement (NAR). In line with that movement’s
character and emphases, the book’s contents, though including information based
on interviews and some research, are largely dependent upon the “life
experiences” (i.e., visions and prophetic revelations) of the authors and
contributors. The book as such, is not intended to give “spiritual advice,” set
forth a “doctrinal position,” or present “scientific fact.” And readers are therefore
invited, as is this reviewer, to come to their own conclusions about the book.
My conclusions I will share in this first review and future installments.
Endorsements
Phil Mason of Australia, Banning Liebscher of Redding,
California, and Steve Witt of Cleveland, Ohio, endorse the book. Mason’s
is notable in that he authored a voluminous work, Quantum Glory.[5] As a former
New Ager, he notes that the relationship between “science and spirituality has
been almost exclusively dominated by New Age metaphysics.” Because for the most
part charismatic Christians have ignored the connection (excepting Annette
Capps, see footnote 1), Mason advocates that books like The Physics of
Heaven and his will help Christians to “[switch] on to the present reality
of the supernatural inbreaking of the kingdom of heaven... the collision
between heaven and earth and our strategic role in releasing the glory of God here
on earth.” Liebscher hopes that the book will help readers “encounter”
and “experience the extravagance of God in a new way.” Steve Witt, parroting
claims by Franklin and Davis, (TPOH, xiii-xiv), calls them and
the other authors prophetic explorers—“adventurers on the edge of the kingdom”
that during the last centuries was only explored by “Christian mystics.”
Readers are therefore invited to, as pioneers, follow Judy and Ellyn’s lead to explore
the archipelago (a stretch of ocean with many islands) of metaphysical and
mystical experiences; the implication being, that should we decline to explore
with them and choose to remain in the comfort zone of home, we are duds.
Ironically, the authors call this spiritual archipelago “A Habitation of
Dragons.” (TPOH, xiii) On this point I would comment that in this
exploration-experience believers had better beware lest the one they encounter is
“the great dragon” or one of his demons (Revelation 12:3-17).[6]
Foreword[7]
Kris Vallotton rightly draws attention to the public witness
that creation bears to God’s existence—“His invisible attributes, His eternal
power and divine nature” (Romans 1:20, NASB). But then he calls the authors in
the book “seers who peer behind the curtain of creation to reveal the
mysterious nature of the Creator.”[8] (TPOH,
i) As such he adds that The Physics of Heaven reads like the product of
“a Holy Spirit think tank,” its contents presenting “new perspectives never
before pondered” (TPOH, i) Imagine... new perceptions
never before thought of by anyone else. Quite high praise, if you believe it. Evidently,
these “seers who peer” are in a prophetic zone of their own. But then such
praise assumes, from the church’s inception during the first century, the exact
replication-continuation of the revelatory gifts (i.e., apostle, prophet,
knowledge, etc), something traditional Pentecostals disavow. (I know, because I
fellowship with them and consider them friends.) But based upon Paul’s writing to
the Corinthians, the continuation of the replicate-revelatory gifts needs to be
questioned. The Apostle wrote:
If there are gifts of prophecy,
they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease;
if there is knowledge, it will be done away. For we know in part
and we prophesy in part; but when the perfect (not Parousia or Christ's
Second Coming) comes, the partial will be done away. Emphasis added, 1
Corinthians 13:8-10, NASB
Paul states that any continuation of the revelatory gifts
was not a question of what was going to happen to them—they would be done
away with or cease—but only when. At some stage after the
church had grown up and reached maturity—that’s the meaning of the word
“perfect”—and during the period before the Second Coming of Christ, the replicate-revelatory
gifts of the Holy Spirit would be “done away” with or “cease.”
After stating that The Physics of Heaven contains
divine revelations which are a “foretaste of things to come,”[9]
Vallotton seeks the Apostle Paul’s endorsement for The Physics of Heaven
by quoting Romans (e.g., Romans 1:20), after which he exults, “What a profound
revelation!” (TPOH, i) But it’s difficult to know whether he exults
in the profundity of Romans, the contents of The Physics of Heaven, or
both. In that in his estimation The Physics of Heaven unearths the meaning
of what the Apostle wrote and meant, Vallotton seemingly ascribes parity
between the book’s contents and Paul’s writings. Unlike traditional
Pentecostalism, such equality results from the Charismatic New Apostolic
Reformation’s assumption that the gifts of Apostle and Prophet function
exactly today as in the first century (with both gift and office residing in
the same person).[10] So in a world where the
apostolic gifts are viewed as continuing, the book’s various authors function
to amplify Paul’s statement with authority equal to the Apostle. (Note: The
quotation of Romans 1:20, is not from the NKJV, but appears to be lifted from
the NASB.)
After referring to the know-ability of God through nature
(Romans 1:18-23; Psalm 19:1-6.), Vallotton asserts that “the Saints are to [as
prophet-apostles], ‘...bring to light... the mystery which for ages has
been hidden in God.” (TPOH, i-ii) The implication of the citation
is that Saints are to unveil the mystery he understands to be “the very
foundations of creation” as observed in the world of Quantum or theoretical
physics. (TPOH, ii)
Regarding this responsibility of the Saints, Kris
Valloton links a text out of Ephesians with Romans. This association is
misguiding. First, in freely paraphrasing and reconstructing Ephesians 3:8-10, he
distorts the interpretation and meaning of what the Ephesians text actually
says. Though he quotes verse 10 (i.e., “the rulers and the authorities”), the
verse is not mentioned in the citation. Second, Paul states that the mystery to be
brought to light was given not to prophet-Saints, but to him (“To me, the very
least of all the saints, this grace was given,” Ephesians 3:8, NASB). And
third, the mystery to be unveiled by Paul to the purview of “rulers and the
authorities in the heavenly places” did not concern creation (They were there
and “shouted for joy” when the Creator created the universe, Job 38:7.), but
rather the “unfathomable riches of Christ” as exhibited in and through the
church! (See Ephesians 3:8, 10.) The mystery concerns the unveiling of the
gospel for, “In Paul’s writings, mystery is nearly a synonym for the gospel.”[11]
Vallotton’s amped-up use of metaphors lauding the bravery of
these daring new Quantum explorers serve to bait readers with the idea that if
they’re bored with traditional and riskless living in “single dimensional
thinking,” that they should get on board with the book’s authors and embark upon
a voyage with them to explore (presumably through seeking visions and
revelations) and discover the spiritual archipelago where reside the “multidimensional
perspectives” of a never-never-land. “The whistle is blowing” Vallotton
invites, “and it’s time to set sail into the great adventure.” (TPOH,
iii)
Introduction: A Glimpse of Things to Come[12]
By comparing notes on their experiences, Judy and Ellyn
began to discuss writing a book together. The Physics of Heaven
represents the puzzle that they, with contributions from other authors and
speakers, have put together, a puzzle consisting of pieces “of what the Lord
has been revealing.” (TPOH, vii) Readers are informed that the
authors “believe that God is revealing things in the sciences, particularly in
quantum physics, that can be directly related to the spiritual realm” and that,
“The revelatory connection between quantum physics and the spirit realm poses
an uncomfortable challenge.” (TPOH, vii) Unfortunately, some of
the puzzle’s pieces don’t have the biblical basis they advocate.
To establish the authority for what the quantum physical
world has to offer for the human understanding of reality, Judy Franklin quotes
1 Corinthians 15:46 where Paul writes, “...the spiritual is not the first,
but the natural; then the spiritual.” (TPOH, vii) She then
comments that this verse tells us that “there’s a lot we can learn about God by
first looking at the natural [presumably quantum physical] world.” (TPOH,
vii) Though I do not question that the natural order reveals God, I do contend the
idea that this verse teaches that. In this paragraph in the chapter explaining
the resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:42-49), the Apostle Paul notes that at death
the human body “is sown a perishable body,” and at the resurrection raises
it to become “an imperishable body” (1 Corinthians 15:42, NASB). The
contrast between the natural body and resurrected body
continues—“sown in dishonor... raised in glory... sown in weakness...
raised in glory... sown a natural body... raised a spiritual body.” (1
Corinthians 15:43-44). Contrary to Franklin’s take, “the natural” does not
refer to nature per se, as if the quantum world is the first place to seek
for proof of God’s existence, but rather that the death of the earthly natural
body must precede the resurrection of the eternal spiritual body, which body is
essentially physical, nonetheless (Compare John 20:24-29; etc.). In her
quotation of 1 Corinthians 15:46, it should be noted again that in difference
to the copyright claim, Franklin quotes words from the NASB, not NKJV.
Hints of the Sound
Sound... during her quiet time, God spoke this
vibrating word to Judy Franklin. The revelation of this one word stimulated her to
explore the mysteries of sound, light, vibrations and quantum physics. She proceeded
to study, read, think and meditate about this word God revealed to her... sound.
Her intense study about and reflection upon the word sound (God also
spoke other words to her) became exhausted. Then she would experience silence.
First the sound, God would speak a word, and then silence, God wouldn’t speak. For
a time, the lull caused her to become disinterested in receiving words of
revelation, until she discovered that “God was playing a game” with her. (TPOH,
v) Imagine... a God who plays mystical games. But it dawned upon her soul
that the words God revealed to her were “hints” about something more immense
that was out there. She realized that the words were part of a divine spiritual
puzzle that God wanted her to put together in this quantum world of sound,
light, energy and vibrations.
A Revelation of the Sound
Then Franklin received a prophetic vision and revelation
larger than a word. She saw an upper room and heard “a noise... like a
violent rushing wind”—another Pentecost. As at the first Pentecost, people were
transformed. They would become releasers of powers that “will cause people to
think differently.” (TPOH, viii)
Visions of the Sound
Like going to the movies, God gave Franklin visions of the
transforming powers of the sound. She saw Christians (together they had
evidently harnessed the powers of the sound) “standing on the shore of
an island like Japan” pointing at a coming tsunami, commanding it to stop and
“suddenly everything” becoming “still.” (TPOH, ix) Other
Christians stopped floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, (presumably earthquakes too)
and wildfires. (TPOH, ix) She “saw believers so in love with God
and so filled with power [i.e., the sound]... that unbelievers would run to
them begging to receive” the sound. She saw a great planetary-Pentecostal
revival taking place on a magnitude never before observed.
“See
to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according
to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles
of the world, rather than according to Christ.”
Emphasis
added, the Apostle Paul, Colossians 2:8, NASB
TO BE CONTINUED.....
[1] Pastor Larry DeBruyn,
“From Cosmos, To Chaos, To Consciousness,” in Unshackled: Breaking away from
Seductive Spirituality (Indianapolis, IN: Moeller Printing Company, Inc.,
2009): 39-78. See also Larry DeBruyn, “The New Science and the New
Spirituality: Quantum Physics and the New Age/New Spirituality,” Guarding
His Flock Ministries, May 16, 2014 (http://guardinghisflock.com/2014/05/16/evolution-quantum-physics-and-new-agenew-spirituality/#more-2711).
[2] See Leonard I. Sweet, Quantum
Spirituality: A Post Modern Apologetic (Dayton, OH: Whaleprints, 1991); John
Polkinghorne, Quantum Theory, A Very Short Introduction (New York, NY:
Oxford University Press, 2002). Quantum theory has influenced the emergence of
Process Theology as well as Free Will or Open Theism. As part of the system but
not separate from it, the former theology emphasizes that God is evolving while
the latter argues the He therefore is unable to control it. See Gregory A.
Boyd, God of the Possible: A Biblical Introduction to the Open View of God (Grand
Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2000). Much of this theology was popularized by Paul
Young’s spiritual allegory, The Shack (Los Angeles, CA: Windblown Media,
2007). For a Charismatic slant, see Annette Capps’ booklet Quantum Faith
(England, AK: Capps Publishing, 2007). These few bibliographical entrees
superficially indicate how evangelical Christianity is compromising the
biblical worldview with a Quantum physical.
[3] Throughout the rest of
this serial review of the book The Physics of Heaven, references to it
will be noticed by abbreviating the book’s title followed by the page cited,
i.e. TPOH, + page number.
[4] David Cannistracci
advocates that, “The apostolic movement is the Holy Spirit’s worldwide
activation of apostles and apostolic people to come together as part of a great
revival on earth.” See his book The Gift of Apostle (Ventura, CA: Regal
Books, 1996): 26. That unbelievers covet these apostolic powers reminds one of Simon
the Sorcerer who too coveted power for power’s sake, but was rebuked by the
Apostle Peter (Acts 8:18-20).
[5] Phil Mason, Quantum
Glory: The Science of Heaven Invading Earth (Maricopa, AZ: XP Publishing,
2010): 400 Pages.
[6] See Pastor Larry DeBruyn,
“Haunted Souls: From Mediation into Hallucinations,” Guarding His Flock
Ministries, August 8, 2014 (http://guardinghisflock.com/2014/08/21/haunted-souls/).
[7] Kris Vallotton,
“Foreword,” The Physics of Heaven, i-iii.
[8] I evaluate the claims of
such “peerers” against the backdrop of Zophar’s question to Job: “Canst thou by
searching find out God? canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection? It
is as high as heaven; what canst thou do? deeper than hell; what canst thou
know?” (Job 11:7-8, KJV). Evidently, these modern-day seer-prophets can.
[9] Larry DeBruyn, “The Holy
Spirit and Holy Scripture: Did Jesus promise “revelations” would continue?” March
29, 2014, Guarding His Flock Ministries (http://guardinghisflock.com/2014/03/29/the-holy-spirit-and-holy-scripture/#more-2699)
[10] Traditional Pentecostal
Anton Bosch notes that, “This movement is commonly referred to as ‘New
Apostolic Reformation (NAR). These ‘apostles’ often carry the designation of
‘Apostle’ with a capital ‘A’ by which they make themselves equal to the
original Twelve [Apostles]. They thus also claim to receive revelations and
words that are equal to or surpassing the original Canon of Scripture.” See Anton
Bosch, Building Blocks of the Church: Re-examining the Basics (Cascades,
South Africa: Eldad Press, 2007): 122.
[11] Henry W. Holloman,
“Mystery,” Kregel Dictionary of the Bible and Theology (Grand Rapids,
MI: Kregel Publications, 2005): 339.