Responsibility for the Generation

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Dr. Atef Meshreky is a self-proclaimed second coming prophet and cult leader. He failed to establish his "center" in Egypt, and is excommunicated by the Synod of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria. After going on a world tour, he sought asylum in the USA, with his top disciples. The frail Orthodox Church in America accepted them as "an independent group". They have settled in Arizona, where Dr. Meshreky is attempting to expand his cult, and establish his kingdom.

Background

The book lists 2014 as its issuance. That it is more than a year prior to Dr. Meshreky tonsuring as a Stavrophore and gathering some of his disciples under the OCA [March 2016]. It also precedes the Israel and Korea conferences, and many of the later books published through his organization Shine International. By that time the author has already moved to the US, many years after he was excommunicated with several of his followers from the Coptic Orthodox Church [2002].

However, we see in the sequence of his teachings and publications the formation of his doctrine. Mainly based on the change in God’s economy for man’s salvation in the final stage of the End Times; the restoration of the Church since the Church has gone astray since the 5th century; through new anointing of people with special features. Added to that some literal definition of Christ in us; and the power of the blood of Jesus, resulting in formation of new worship prayer and selective interpretation of singled out verses of the New Testament, and situations of the Old Testament.

The book is sold through Amazon in both paper and Kindle formats.

Chapter Analysis

INTRODUCTION

The first two thirds is Dr. Meshreky narrating a summary of his journey since “the Lord drew near to” him, and the “divine calling” for him to be set apart for full time service as a “celibate brother”.

Then the last part is that “This book presents to believers and ministers some necessary guidelines and spiritual principles…”.

Lastly, he criticizes the “specific features” of the generation: Influenced by the media, and is also a “generation of conflicts and struggles”. Asserting that “First and foremost, we should not forget that it is the generation of the end times”.

PART I: BIBLICAL PRINCIPLES CONCERNING OUR RESPONSIBILITY TOWARD THE GENERATION

To “be responsible for this generation” and “a channel of blessing” for it, need to “accept a commission from God”. To show who those “ministers of God” are, the author goes on to discredit the others who just can bless in “superficial way”; not trained “to be disciples of the Bible”; …

ONE Understanding the mind of God concerning blessings”: In this subsection, he is wandering in many directions trying to show experience and understanding of “the mind of God” making it unclear what is that understanding, or what is the purpose/benefit of the subsection. Probably just to show that it is a ‘special feature’, and that he has that ‘understanding’.

TWO Understanding the difference between special blessings and general blessings”: Explains the differentiation between the “earthly and material” blessings of the Old Testament (the fall), and the heavenly treasures blessings of the New Testament.

THREE Discerning the time in which we live”: Dr. Meshreky references some Bible verses and situations that seem irrelevant, to point out that “the Holy Spirit” shook his heart, and opened his eyes on “a prophetic message” “intended for the whole body of Christ.”

The author keeps going into irrelevant situations, just to insert statements around himself. Like “I remember the time when I first received the call to be entrusted for the generation. It was a time that completely changed my life.” So he received “a commission, a task for the generation” while on an airplane.

“When we go to heaven we will discover…” “…the person who was entrusted for the generation; who had a heart for his generation. Because of this, he was actually able to minister in all these different ministries.”

PART II: HOW CAN WE BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE GENERATION?

After establishing in the previous that Dr. Meshreky is the person “entrusted with the generation”, which we’ll see in heaven, here: “who is to be entrusted and set apart to serve the generation? The one that can be entrusted to serve the generation should be a chosen vessel who has received a spiritual anointing, which then qualifies him to serve the generation.”

FOUR Understanding the main features and characteristics of the generation“: What is the plan and the economy of the Holy Spirit for this generation?” With pages of ‘logic’ stating that “the Church of God is moving downward, going downhill, and the spirit of the world is entering the Church. The Church is embracing many ugly things.”, and “a generation that is very arrogant.”

FIVE Features and weaknesses of our generation“ “main features of our generation” include “Uncleanliness and the absence of the fear of God”; “Passions and lust”; “Disappearance of deep faith and patience”; “Absence of a sacrificial life”; “Excessive talking, making human plans, and wisdom of the flesh, instead of wisdom of God”

SIX Remedies to help with the weaknesses of our generation”: “three things, remedies”: “Icon” “Christ desires to come and dwell literally within us; he must be formed within us and we need to turn into an icon!”; “Spiritual Inheritance”; and “Prayer and spiritual discipline”.

PART III: HOW CAN WE BLESS OUR GENEATION?

“search the Scriptures to understand God’s mind” and “consider the fact that our generation is the generation of the end times.”

SEVEN Searching the Scriptures to understand God’s mind concerning the blessing of the generation“: “God desires us to be separate and set apart from the world.”, “we need to be “set apart.””, “you need to be “set apart” for the Lord.” “Living in the Spirit and separate for the Lord.” And enter into a “covenant” where “a covenant involves commitments.”

EIGHT A generation of the end times”: “There must be a special economy, a special plan of God to minister during these end times.”

Then building on “Luke 1: 17 He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, ‘to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,’ and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” The interpretation that “the final and complete fulfillment will occur in the end times.” by “receiving the distinct anointing that Elijah, and John the Baptist received.” Then goes on for pages going over “the mystery of this anointing”, “the characteristics of the ministry of Elijah”, and the “Characteristics of the ministry of John the Baptist”.

PART IV: RECEIVING A NEW FILLING AND ANOINTING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

“We need to receive a new filling of the Holy Spirit; a new empowering of the Spirit.”

NINE Principles in receiving a new filling of the Holy Spirit”: “Encountering the Holy God”, and “Restoring the original spring of Pentecost”

Then he “reveals a secret” that “God revealed”. To get to the point that the Holy Spirit to men as “a river in the Church of God.”; God gave “the Church such an economy.” But during difficult times, there are those who “will mysteriously receive the Holy Spirit” “without realizing they received this filling from the river.” “Sadly,” “the richest source of the Pentecost is no longer available.”

“However, when the day comes and the Church of God is awakened to restore their whole inheritance, and completely deal with the clouds, we can again receive the full outpouring of the day of Pentecost. Then the five main offices of the Spirit will also be released again in their fullness. The five offices are mentioned in Ephesians 4: apostles, prophets, teachers, pastors, and evangelists. When these offices are released in their fullness, there will be no more division within the Church of God. Different sectors of the Church will come together, because these offices will bring real and new revelation about Christ.”

“Responsibility toward the generation: Then the author repeats the story of St Paul in Acts 20:29-30 mentioned in “INTRODUCTION”: “It is interesting that Paul was thinking of four generations. During that time, a generation implied a century. This means that Paul was thinking ahead to four centuries in order to keep the Church safe from divisions. If you study the history of the Church, it is amazing to find that the Church was actually kept safe from discord and united up until the 4th century. Divisions occurred after that, because the treasures and revelations began to be mingled with the world and its philosophies. The purity of the Spirit was no longer there. In this very moment, you are receiving treasures. They are not my treasures, they are treasures that I received from the Lord and I am passing them on to you. Therefore, we must be treasure keepers, and must pass it on to those who are faithful. If you are willing to do this, you will then be entrusted by God, and will be anointed to minister to this generation. This is our responsibility - to be “treasure keepers.” May God enable us to be truly faithful and pass it along to other faithful people.”

PART V: UNDERSTANDING THE COVENANT RELATIONSHIP

Emphasizing and explaining the “covenant relationship with God” against the ‘misunderstandings’. So, many years ago he “came to understand the fullness of the covenant relationship”. And the resulting that “God will accompany us as a partner and companion.” “Do you know what makes Jesus so different in His life and His ministry? He was in a very close relationship with His Father.” “The Father was always with Jesus, because of that covenant relationship.”

TEN Characteristics of the covenants”: Going through the covenants between God and Noah; God and Abraham; and God and the descendants of Abraham.

ELEVEN The new covenant”: The Kingdom of God “extends according to the covenant”. “We will now ask God to feed our inner man, and He opens His treasures. We receive and give, and receive and give; this is the covenant of God.”

TWELVE Experience the fruits and blessings of the covenant”: Tying the covenant with St. Paul’s definition of ‘circumcision of the heart’, which is done in two ways: First through spiritual virtues and practices; second is “to humbly accept chastening of God”.

Critical Issues and Contradictions to the Bible and the Church

  1. Although the author has never had any clerical rank –at least to that time- , he is providing ‘spiritual guidance’ to ‘ministers’. [Introduction].
  2. From the start [Introduction], the author asserts that this “is the generation of the end times”. The author has been asserting the ‘final stage of the End Times’ repeatedly as the first justification for the rest of his doctrine. Disregarding all the New Testament teachings that the Kingdom has been near since the days of John the Baptist and Jesus on earth; and the warnings against predictions and false prophets and teachings around it. He is also using twisted logic as always, as if the current generation has more conflicts, etc than the previous generations.
  3. In effort for the author to elevate those who are ‘responsible for this generation’, ‘commissioned from God’, and can ‘bless powerfully’, because they are prepared and committed: He neglects the fact that saving and blessing are the works of the Lord. And for Him to do that, He worked through apostles and disciples who were ‘normal’ individuals with no ‘special features’ nor self-prepared for it! The author makes it about the ‘minister’, glorifying some by discrediting others.
  4. The author is “the person” “entrusted with the generation”, commissioned by God: The idea of a present day person describing his open eyes towards prophetic messages, and being the one entrusted with the generation, commissioned by God, runs against the warnings of the Bible against “new” teachings and prophets; and is considered heretical in apostolic Churches.
  5. The author is criticizing the Church as usual of his teachings. But he is doing that not from an insider constructive loving perspective. Rather as an outsider, and the “restore” alternative. No suggestion nor effort to fix nor improve, rather serving a conclusion that the Church has “gone astray”, ‘lost its message and authority”, so God’s economy for the “final stage of the End Times” is to restore through selecting and anointing men “who have special features” forming new “Church units”.
  6. “the spirit of the world is entering the Church.” Implying –as in his other writings- that the Church was in “a heavenly place” up to the 4th century: The New Testament includes lots of examples of “the spirit of the world” in side the Church, from Judas, Nicholas, Simon the sorcerer, Ananias & Sapphira, and others. The Church did not come down from heaven, it has always been communities of humans, sinners. And the Lord, in Revelations did not put a condition for the Church either to be in ‘heavenly life’ or He’ll anoint an alternative! Actually He is holding the angels of the Churches in His right hand, is in the midst of the seven Churches [Revelation 1].
  7. Dr. Meshreky is harshly criticizing “the Church of God”. So what is the new “Church units”?? ‘the Church of what?’.
  8. Criticizing the generation for “wisdom of the flesh, instead of wisdom of God”: No human can claim wisdom of God, except out of utmost arrogance. God is not fully revealed to any human. Is Dr. Meshreky putting himself in a higher category than the generation he is criticizing?
  9. In claiming “special anointing” to be “commissioned by God”, and repeating the importance of active spiritual life and commitment to ministry: This might be one of the results of Dr. Meshreky’s internal struggle to fulfill what he believes the purpose of his life, while being denied the ranking he thinks he deserves in the Church. So it becomes a necessity to think that he’s one of a kind, commissioned directly by God, guided by the Holy Spirit since the Church has ‘gone astray’, and the end is near.
  10. “The Father was always with Jesus, because of that covenant relationship.”: This is a strange concept about the relationship between persons of the Trinity! Jesus is the Son of the Father and ‘of one essence with the Father’. A conditional relationship (covenant), as a reason or condition for ‘was always with’, is foreign to our beliefs, and not for us humans to comprehend nor analyze. Did God also reveal to the author this aspect of relationship between the Father and the Son?!

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