Notes 87-89, 92 - Distorted Teaching Regarding Philadelphia and Laodicea
87Churches That Do Not Follow Dong Yu Lan's "Orientations" Are "Laodicea"
Letter from brothers in Ambato, Ecuador, October 24, 2007:
In 2003 in a conference in Bogotá, Colombia, Brother Dong said that the co-workers from the United States have become like an old hen that sits on her eggs, but the eggs don't produce chicks, and now the Spirit's flow is in South America. He also said that those who follow his orientation are Philadelphia, but the churches in the United States have become Laodicea —with just the knowledge but not the practice.
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Interview with Juan Rubilar and Miguel Lagos, December 20, 2007:
In Santiago André Dong shared the first meeting and Dong Yu Lan shared the rest. In the first meeting André Dong said that the churches that followed Dong Yu Lan were Philadelphia and the rest were Laodicea.
88 Those Who Do Not Follow Dong Yu Lan Become Laodicea
" The Orientations of Brother Dong, to be put into effect now, through his son Andre, July 16, 2007":
We need to let the churches know that the ones from Laodicea left the position of Philadelphia. They were the ones that left.
We need to recover and heal those who are both confused and damaged. And we should stay away from those who are decisively in Laodicea; don't have contact with them.
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Letter from the church in Belford Roxo, Brazil, October 26, 2007:
As the brothers bearing responsibility in Belford Roxo, Brazil, in October, 2006, we decided not to continue to follow the work of Brother Dong Yu Lan, but to receive and to participate in the general and unique ministry of the co-workers in the Lord's recovery and to participate in the fellowship of the churches in the whole earth.
Brother Dong and his co-workers responded by appointing new brothers to be the responsible ones in the church and by starting a second meeting of the Lord's Table in our locality. They boldly proclaimed that we had became Laodicea, and began a new "congregation" with just one family.
Dong Yu Lan, International Conference at Estância Árvore da Vida, September 3, 2006, Message 3:
Today we listened to a message spoken by Brother Lee in 1994. He was eager that the brothers exercise their spirit by calling on the name of the Lord. Especially, he expressed his concern for those in Taiwan and North America. [He said,] "If you would not release your spirit, you are very likely to fall into Sardis and Laodicea." Look, he was very much concerned for these two major regions. However, did the brothers put this word into practice? Have we seen them do that? He [Brother Lee] once intended to bring what he saw in Brazil in 1984 to the United States and Taiwan, but the brothers didn't receive it.
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89 Dong Yu Lan Teaches That "Those in Philadelphia" Should Be Separate from "Those in Laodicea"
Dong Yu Lan, Daily Food: He Who Believes, Out of His Innermost Being Shall Flow Rivers of Living Water, Week 1, Saturday:
But there is a great warning for the last times: Laodicea. Laodicea has something that affects Philadelphia, which is the mind. Everything is not a bed of roses. Our great challenge in the last days is not preaching the gospel, because we have a crown; we are going out conquering and to conquer. The hard thing is dealing with the influence of Laodicea. Laodicea comes out of Philadelphia. Both used to live in the same house, but Philadelphia wants to keep the door open (Rev. 3:8), and Laodicea goes and closes it (cf. v. 20). Philadelphia says, "Come on, leave the door open! The Spirit needs to be free!" But Laodicea says, "Close this door! We're already wealthy and rich. We don't need anything else" (v. 17). Do you know what the Lord did? He separated them. Let whoever wants the door open stay here, and whoever wants to shut it stay here. Here is Philadelphia; there is Laodicea.
Verse 9 says, "Behold, I will make those of the synagogue of Satan..." The synagogue of Satan doesn't mean that it is a place where people are worshiping Satan. No. In the synagogue of the Jews, no one was there saying, "Oh, Satan." No, they were worshiping God. Satan signifies one who opposes. One who opposes what? The work of the Spirit. The great characteristic of Philadelphia is the work of the Spirit. It is to fly, flap the wings, and follow the direction of the wind. So, have you flown? I have. I'm not lying. I have already. Whoever knows how to fly has no problem, but whoever doesn't know how to fly has a great problem. Philadelphia learned how to fly, to follow the Spirit, and to walk in God's move. Everything there is peaceful and everything flows. Isn't it true? However, when we do not recognize the work of the Spirit, we become those who oppose. Peter was called Satan. Jesus said to him, "Get behind me, Satan." Peter was not worshiping Satan, but he did not recognize the work of the Spirit. He did not recognize the word of life, so when the Lord said something that bothered him, he became an opposer. The synagogue of Satan is people who are probably seeking God but do not know the work of the Spirit and do not recognize the work of the Spirit. The great secret of God's work is the work of the Spirit. This is why John was called; he learned how to live, walk, smell, feel, and be filled with the Spirit.
We can become the synagogue of Satan. This is not the privilege of a few. We ourselves, the church in our city, can become the synagogue of Satan. If you do not recognize the work of the Spirit, the moving of the Spirit, you are meeting to oppose God's move. "Those who call themselves Jews and are not, but lie. Behold, I will cause them to come and fall prostrate before your feet and to know that I have loved you." Saints, perhaps in the beginning of the twenty-first century, the great spiritual event is the appearing of Laodicea. When Laodicea appeared, there began to be a separation between Philadelphia, who wanted the door open, and Laodicea, who wanted the door closed. But when we take the way of the Lord, the Lord comes to confirm something. He comes to show us that He has loved us.
Helcio Almeida, Young People's Conference at Estância Árvore da Vida, 2nd session, July 19, 2007, Message 1:
Do you know what the Lord does? He separates those who want an open door here and those who want the door closed there. Here is Philadelphia and there is Laodicea. The Lord is coming. There is no use praying for Laodicea to be together with Philadelphia....
Perhaps in the beginning of this century the great spiritual event is the emergence of Laodicea. When Laodicea appears a separation will start [between] Philadelphia, those who want an open door, and Laodicea, those who want a closed door, but when we take the way of the Lord, the Lord comes to show us something.
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Helcio Almeida, Speaking in Piracicaba, September 19, 2008:
2005 was a very important year for the gospel in Africa. In October of 2005 there was a separation between Philadelphia and Laodecea. Who is Laodecia stayed there! And who is Philadelphia stayed here! If you want to do something, you can do whatever you want to do. If you be on this side of the street, we are going to be on the other side! But Laodecia is one thing! And Philadelphia is another!
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92 Dong Yu Lan's Teaching Issues in Division
Dong Yu Lan, Daily Food: He Who Believes, Out of His Innermost Being Shall Flow Rivers of Living Water, Week 1, Saturday:
Saints, perhaps in the beginning of the twenty-first century, the great spiritual event is the appearing of Laodicea. When Laodicea appeared, there began to be a separation between Philadelphia, who wanted the door open, and Laodicea, who wanted the door closed.
Helcio Almeida, Young People's Conference at Estância Árvore da Vida, 2nd session, July 19, 2007, Message 1:
Do you know what the Lord does? He separates those who want an open door here and those who want the door closed there. Here is Philadelphia and there is Laodicea. The Lord is coming. There is no use praying for Laodicea to be together with Philadelphia....
Perhaps in the beginning of this century the great spiritual event is the emergence of Laodicea. When Laodicea appears a separation will start [between] Philadelphia, those who want an open door, and Laodicea, those who want a closed door, but when we take the way of the Lord, the Lord comes to show us something.
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This teaching was applied in Chile through " The Orientations of Brother Dong, to be put into effect now, through his son Andre," July 16, 2007:
We need to let the churches know that the ones from Laodicea left the position of Philadelphia. They were the ones that left.
We need to recover and heal those who are both confused and damaged. And we should stay away from those who are decisively in Laodicea; don't have contact with them.
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See also note 121 for examples of how this teaching has been applied to justify division in particular cases.
Brother Dong's teaching makes a fundamental error in truth that nullifies the proper ground of the church and leads to division. Whether or not a group of believers is a genuine local church or not is not dependent upon their condition but upon their standing:
A local church is preserved from being divided by its ground, not by its condition.... The condition of a certain church may be good, but that does not assure that the ground of that church is right. A local church may be low in its condition, yet it is still a genuine local church as long as it keeps the genuine ground of the oneness of the Body. On the other hand, a local church may be high in its condition, but it is a division, a local sect, as long as it does not care for the genuine ground of the oneness of the Body of Christ expressed in its locality. ( A Brief Presentation of the Lord's Recovery , p. 51)
As the article " Principles Concerning the Lord's Table in View of the Oneness of the Body of Christ" on this site points out:
The seven churches in Revelation 2 and 3 differed in their conditions. In fact, five of those churches were in conditions of significant degradation. The Lord, however, recognized them as genuine local churches based not on their condition but on their standing on the proper ground.
Thus, to use the churches in Philadelphia and Laodicea as a pretext for division is contrary to the truth of the Bible.
