{"id":6963,"date":"2019-08-01T08:00:34","date_gmt":"2019-08-01T12:00:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cristolaverdad.com\/?p=6963"},"modified":"2026-02-05T09:16:22","modified_gmt":"2026-02-05T14:16:22","slug":"the-manifested-sons-of-god","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cristolaverdad.com\/?p=6963","title":{"rendered":"The Manifested Sons of God"},"content":{"rendered":"
This entry is part 6 of 9 in the series Unsound Doctrines<\/a><\/div>

\u00a0“And we beseech you brethren, to know<\/strong> (G1492<\/a>) them which labour among you…” 1 Th. 5:12<\/a><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

This is a distinctive Gnostic<\/strong> doctrine (attaining godhood) that came out of the Latter Rain Movement<\/strong><\/a> & was taught by William Branham, who also said that Jesus emptied Himself by pouring Himself into the church and that his church was now the fullness of God<\/span> in bodily form<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Central to Manifested Sons of God<\/strong> doctrine is the idea that sonship<\/strong> comes through higher revelation<\/strong>. The Christian life is fragmented into stages of maturity: the first step is that of servant of God<\/strong>; the next step is to become a friend of God<\/strong>; following this is to become a son of God<\/strong> and, ultimately, gods ourselves<\/span>. ApologeticsIndex<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The ‘Manifest Sons of God’<\/strong> followers were divided into two major sects. ‘The Walk’ (or The Living Word )(1<\/a>), and also the ‘Body of Christ’.<\/p>\n

The Walk<\/span><\/strong> started in 1950’s under the \u201capostleship<\/strong>\u201d of John Robert Stevens<\/a>, who like Paul Cain<\/a> (1<\/a>) & others was a William Branham’s disciple<\/strong>. Stevens was defrocked first by the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel & later by the Assemblies of God because of his unbiblical doctrines. He then founded a network of churches called the Walk, his was the ‘Church of the Living Word’ in Redondo Beach, California, continued today by Gary Hargrave<\/strong> . ‘Living Word’ meant the ‘rhema’ word\u00a0 since J.R. Stevens taught that the Bible text was a dead letter<\/strong>. Please see short documentary<\/a> of the cult by ex-member Tony Cox<\/a>.<\/p>\n

John Robert Stevens taught that astral projection<\/strong> could be performed, and cited 1 Corinthians 5:3-4<\/a> for support, claiming that Paul was able to project his soul to Corinth from a distant point. Also taught that he and his followers were the manifestation<\/strong> of the Second Coming of Jesus<\/span> & that in some sense, he was greater than Christ, that Christ\u2019s return was a \u201cPresence\u201d among ‘Walk followers’ for signs and wonders<\/strong>. He also believed the Bible to be unfinished<\/span> & he was always eager for “new<\/span> revelation”<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

After he died, some of the members of his “Apostolic Company” (Sam Fife, Mel Baley, George Warnock (former personal secretary to Ern Baxter a William Branham associate), Francis Frangipane, Royal Cronquist (FGBMFI), Bill Britton (Lake Hamilton Bible Camp), etc.) became involved with the Word of Faith<\/strong> movement or other Latter Rain groups, without ever renouncing the ‘Walk’ doctrines.<\/p>\n

Sam Fife<\/a> founded ‘The Body of Christ<\/strong><\/span>‘ in 1962 a.k.a ‘The Move’;Francis Frangipane<\/strong>, was a former pastor of Coniah Chapel, a ‘Walk’ church in San Diego; another one became a leader at Ken Hagin’s Rhema<\/strong> Bible Institute; Mel Baley was on staff with ‘Kingdom Now’ pastor Earl Paulk <\/a>(see Paulk’s paper, Thy Kingdom Come<\/em>, Feb. 1987, p.9 for a Bailey article); disciple Mark Virkler<\/strong>, became curriculum director for Thomas F. Reid’s Association of Church-Centered Bible Schools. (Reid and Virkler<\/a> are the two principal co-authors of Seduction<\/em>?? A Biblical. . .<\/a>a\u00a0 response to the book by Dave Hunt The Seduction of Christianity<\/em><\/a>).<\/p>\n

To arrive to this false doctrine they add new<\/span> revelation<\/strong> & twisted Rom.8:19<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cFor the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing (<\/span><\/span><\/strong>manifestation) of the sons of God<\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/strong> 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope 21 because the creation itself also will be delivered<\/strong> from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God<\/strong><\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

This doctrine forms part of the “Dominion Theology” & it’s taught today by Word of Faith & New Apostolic Reformation<\/strong> among others. They teach the Manifest Sons of God, also called Joel’s Army<\/strong> or a ‘New breed<\/a>‘ are like:<\/p>\n