In this chapter, as usual, when we shave down Dean's 95% non-required
verbiage, we are left with a kernel of gold. Though we do not affirm that Christ
will return at any time, we do affirm that one must live with God in the
forefront of priorities. On the other hand we are also treated to an extended
diatribe against “science” as the “treacherous, merciless, lifeless, IDOL-GOD
of the DREAM WORLD!” One wonders whether Dean would say the same of
Biblical scholarship that tries to understand the text in the context it was
written. He also seems hostile to the use of medicine but does not clearly say
so.
Dean hits the mark when he speaks about denominational differences: “The very existence of a Denomination
presupposes that there are other 'groups' of professing Christians that have a
HERETICAL 'version' of The Faith”. But we think he protests too much. To
compare cooperation between Baptists and Presbyterians, who nevertheless remain
separate groups, to a religious Babylon not only begs the question that their
disagreements are on soteriologically essential issues, but also reeks of
paranoia. Dean, as always, simply universalizes his own personal confusion and
ability to be discerning in such matters. Some ecumenical outreaches should not
be made (i.e., Baptists to Mormons) but others can and should be as needed or
desired.
At any rate Dean “exegetes” (if one can call such a clumsy and manic
procedure by such a word) Revelation to prove that “Mystery Babylon” is the
current apostate church, but we don’t think that will fit the context.
Much babbling follows in which Dean delivers his opinion of world events ahead,
offers simplified political commentary, analyzes the role of the Catholic
Church in his “Great Dream” schemata,
and reaches the conclusion that almost all of Christendom is currently
apostate. How and when he completed a complete spiritual inventory of every member
of this set, we cannot say, but while much of his description well describes a
handful of prominent names in American Christianity, it would be hard to apply
it wholesale worldwide without significantly greater experience and exposure
than Dean evidences. It is telling enough that he must resort to threats and
subjective messages declaring his own prophethood:
“And by the way, Pal, The Lord has
told me that all who resist THIS message are going to get JUDGED...There is One
Lord, and One faith, and if you disagree with me, well, then ONE of us must be
wrong. AND IT ISN'T ME. The Lord has sent me to tell Christendom that they
(you?) have rejected Him by REJECTING His words, and that He is going to AVENGE
Himself against those who CLAIM to speak for Him and yet DENY, CONTRADICT, and
FAIL TO MENTION the very things that He Himself said. YOU CAN BET ON IT”.
Given Dean's extremely poor exegetical skills, one suspects that “the Lord” isn't the one informing him,
but that perhaps his imagination is. An irony is that he then produces a list
of spiritual “heroes” whom he admits
differed on issues he has claimed today prove the apostasy of Christendom: “Which local assembly to attend? Which
rituals and procedures? What does 'Free Will' mean? What is the present state
of the deceased, and how does the world end?” He even admits that he thinks
there are such disputes in the NT (though his example of James vs. Paul is
erroneous). What Dean sees is apostasy in the decision to “forget” differences in the name of unity, this is not what has
happened in ALL ecumenical councils, and he offers no direct proof —merely
anecdotal “this is what it looks like to
me” argumentation— that any essential doctrine is being compromised.
In the end it is no surprise that Dean professes not to be able to “pin down” the nature of the alleged
apostasy and concludes that it is just about anything and everything, which
makes his thesis conveniently non-falsifiable. He does cite what he thinks are
three common characteristics:
“COMPLACENCY
about religious doctrines. They aren't interested in Truth, but only in
cooperation. It's that BABYLON SYNDROME”.
“COMPROMISE
whenever religion interferes with political, cultural, or family loyalties. It's
that UNITY thing”.
“COWARDICE
whenever obedience to any religious doctrine may put them at risk. They are the
fearful and unbelieving of Revelation 21:8. They DO NOT TRUST GOD. It's that WORLDLY WISDOM thing”.
Shocking? Signs of the end? No, because all three of these have been
happening since 33 AD. Cooperation and not truth? What of political alliances
between Catholic and Protestant governments in the medieval period? Compromise?
Again, query the medieval period, as well as heretics from Arian to the present
day. Cowardice? In the full span; faith given up under pressure is known from
the Roman era and continues to this day. The paranoia in Dean sees ahead a “super church”, one “that will incorporate people, money, and clergy from all Denominations”.
He says they were busy at this in 1991 when he wrote, but it is now 2015 and
what progress has there been? The paranoia continues by saying that unnamed “BIG SHOTS” get involved in charity not
to actually help people, but “to make
disciples to themselves because they rate their own success by the volume of
applause and the size of their income”. Details, none at all. If he is
right to say that God “sent me to tell
you this” we have to wonder when after 24 years God will tell him to
provide some documentation.
It is also ironic that he speaks against of those who want “to make disciples to themselves because they
rate their own success by the volume of applause…” It is ironic because this
is the argument he usually mentions as proof of his own success as a prophecy
expert.