Unregenerated Amato Thoughts

http://www.bcbsr.com/topics/lcx2.html

Recommendation: Avoid Steve Amato. He was involved in the LSM cult for a year, and he has equally bad teachings as them. His teaching is that he can sin, not call it sin, and that there is no consequence to sinning, and that God won't do anything about it in the Christian so that all Christians receive reward reigning with Christ. It is overassuming his sinlessness, a lack of humility and in believing there is no consequence, he will sin more. This is typical of false Christians.

I find it hard for someone to be as ignorant as Steve Amato after so much education on the matter at hand, so I believe it is possible he is acting dumb on purpose to gain attention, speaking from his mind as unregenerated. Yes. Intentionally.

Question 1: Amato asks "payment for sin can be rendered by suffering in the 'Gehenna of fire', then logically everyone will eventually be saved after they suffer enough in the afterlife."

Payment for sin is paid by Christ on the cross. What the lake of fire does at Judgment Seat is burn off the dross (of their works) of carnal Christians who just couldn't mature in Christ so that they may enter outer darkness in loss of rewards while overcomers in Christ like those called-out ones in Rev. 2 and 3 who comprise the first resurrection (Rev. 20.4) will reign with Christ for a thousand years, in the time of recompense. This should get all Christians to think long and hard about their lives in Christ about backsliding and easy-believism thoughts like Amato idols after.

The various quotes Amato collects from LSM said-to-be of Watchman Nee are nowhere to be found at CFP, and never does Amato collect quotes from CFP, the authoritative source of Watchman Nee's writings. I even did a computer search for them in various ways throughout Watchman Nee's writings from the COMPLETE WORKS OF WATCHMAN at CFP, and I could not find these quotes where Amato accusing Nee of believing Christians go in to the lake of fire during the millennium. Now you see why I recommend reading Watchman Nee in this order, http://www3.telus.net/trbrooks/Watchman_Nee.htm to discern the truth.

All conversations with Amato are mindless, because he starts from a false premise about the lake of fire as if Watchman Nee believes in something he does not. Witness Lee altered and falsified new so-called Watchman Nee writings at LSM, adding to Watchman Nee's writings, things Nee does not believe himself. This is the sin of bearing false witness, even stealing. Steve Amato is undiscerning, and is not a Christian since he won't repent, does not act like a true believer in his antinomianism believing he can sin with no consequence. You can already see in his heart, he won't change.

Question 2: Amato asks "If they don't know whether or not their works are pleasing until "the Day declares it" then how can they receive their reward?"

Some are given a white stone in Rev. 2 & 3 and know their works are well pleasing to the Lord. I do know when my works are pleasing to the Lord, not always, but often, I know His will for me or on a matter, and I leave it up to God's decision to reward me accordingly on the day the Lord declares it. Leave it up to God. It is not man who gives himself his own reward. God bestows rewards. That was a dumb question also because it presumes the believer can not know God's will for them, which is of course is not true. Nee provided a wonderful piece on rewards, not to legalize them as you have done, http://www3.telus.net/trbrooks/notlegalizing.htm

Question 3: Amato asks "who will reign during the millennium?"

Overcomers in Christ, those who can no longer be hurt by the second death, those you see in Rev. 2 & 3 that are called-out ones out of these seven churches, man child of Rev. 12.5, the 144,000 closest to Christ, Rev. 14.1-5, martyrs from Rev. 6.9-11, the 5 wise virgins Matt. 25.1-12, and those who receive a white stone, who sit on thrones, etc. all of whom make up the first resurrection Rev. 20.4. Not all Christians comprise the three groups mentioned in this verse. There is lots of these types of verses that clearly make the distinction about rewards for overcoming in Christ, reigning over 5,3,1 cities, bearing 30,60,90 fruit in Matt. 13. Non-overcomers can yet be hurt by the second death meaning they can yet fall back into sin, but overcomers are so mature that though they could still sin, are so close to perfection, they can no longer be hurt by the second death; these are the ones that God rewards as the first resurrection in the time of recompense. If you would like to get to know Jesus Christ, http://www3.telus.net/trbrooks/JesusGod.htm

Question 4: God disciplines us in this life because presently we're in the flesh and sin dwells in the flesh. In the afterlife that will not be the case. Isn't this your view?

In the millennial kingdom there will still be those of flesh and blood who were transferred livingingly from the end of the Great Tribulation. Christ will reign with an "iron rod" mentioned 3 times in Revelation, over these nations with His overcomers, that is, the 1st resurrection. As you compare members of the body of Christ today to those in Rev. 20.4, you can clearly see that not all Christians will be included in the first resurrection, which is a "best" "out-of" resurrection from the conglomerate of resurrections of parousia. It is not saying it is the best one, nor is it meaning there will be many resurrections, only that it is the best one.

Of course sin is in the flesh if the believer let's himself sin, but if a Christian does not abide in the Word of God and "keep the Word of His patience" (Rev. 3.10), he will not be accounted "worthy to escape these things that shall come to pass" (Luke 21.36), nor will he receive "a white stone, and in the stone a new name written" Rev. 2.17 to receive the reward of reigning during the millennial kingdom. God is not saying just those who receive a white stone are saved. He is saying they are "called-out ones". What is their purpose? Where do they go? The three groups of overcomers are martyrs of the past 20 centuries, martyrs during the Tribulation and Saints that sit one thrones since Adam. Here is more elaboration, http://www3.telus.net/trbrooks/Revelation_20.htm.

It is not that one can sin in the after-life but rather they lose the reward in the after-life. Having a spiritual body, those non-overcomers who did not overcome while in the body in losing rewards are not, as you think, thrown into the lake of fire as you were taught in that cult you were associated with, but rather placed in "outer darkness" so that has no fire about it, for it is out of the light of reigning during the kingdom. This is a very special principle, mentioned 3 times in the Scripture obviously because few can handle its truth, and it is never mentioned in conjunction with fire. Here is the proof, http://lampbroadcast.org/plets/ppdf1/OuterDkns.pdf

You would have no right to rewards because you don't distinguish the matter of a sinning Christian since you think no Christians sin, yet the only man that has never sinned is Jesus Christ, so you have to be careful not to legalize the Scriptures like this. I hope this helps with your understanding of your antinomianism as God gives you the strength to put it on the cross when you come to Christ, and not think of Jesus in terms of just substitutory death, but also realize that you must die with Him on the cross.

There is Scripture in the Bible that says when someone comes so close to God and still does not really believe him in the case of Steve Amato, God will no longer accept them ever. When someone doesn't listen after several tries, and keeps repeating the same old repetitive mantra, you know that is the sign to head to the exit doors and never come back,

You may want to convince an antinomian person with many verses, but if a person doesn’t want to listen after reading only a few verses then why waste your time? Did the Messiah waste his time in such a way? I’ve said it many times before and I’ll say it many more times, people believe what they want to believe. Only the few who love true honest reason will listen to Truth.

Troy Brooks

For more Amato, and other misreadings of Watchman Nee, or the marrying of Nee to Lee,

http://www3.telus.net/trbrooks/SteveAntinomian.htm

http://www3.telus.net/trbrooks/myabsurd.htm

http://www3.telus.net/trbrooks/Misreading.htm