“Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.” — John 7:24

October 11, 2002 –  The command of God that we judge righteous judgment is not a purposeless one.  “For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again”. (Matthew 7:2)  This is not a command to refrain from all judgment as it is commonly commanded of the “laity” in the corrupt modern churches, but it is a command to measure rightly according to a righteous rule, utilizing Holy Writ, the Holy Spirit, and the person of Jesus Christ to measure righteously the fruit of Christian life and teaching.

Unto the religious authorities God has granted this obligation and power, as they have been sanctified and set apart by God for the purpose of pronouncing righteous judgment with equity.  Yet throughout history, the pattern of unrighteous judgment by religious authorities is evident.

Jeremiah the prophet was commanded by God to prophesy against all the cities of Judah for their wickedness and contravention of God’s laws.  The religious rulers, the priests and the prophets, corrupt from their very birth, would not hearken unto Jeremiah but called out that he should be killed saying, “This man is worthy to die; for he hath prophesied against this city, as ye have heard with your ears.” (Jer. 26:11)

In the next verse, Jeremiah rejects the priests and the prophets and makes his appeal to the princes and to the people, because the religious rulers would murder him for speaking the Word of God… “The LORD sent me to prophesy against this house and against this city all the words that ye have heard.” (Jer. 26:12)  Jeremiah goes on to declare that he will not be judged by the wicked hand of the religious rulers, but will submit to the righteous judgment of the people and the civil authority:

“As for me, behold, I am in your hand: do with me as seemeth good and meet unto you.   But know ye for certain, that if ye put me to death, ye shall surely bring innocent blood upon yourselves, and upon this city, and upon the inhabitants thereof: for of a truth the LORD hath sent me unto you to speak all these words in your ears.  Then said the princes and all the people unto the priests and to the prophets; This man is not worthy to die: for he hath spoken to us in the name of the LORD our God.” (Jer. 26:14-16)

We all know and agree that Jesus was judged and pronounced an evildoer by the corrupt religious authorities of Jerusalem, and it is evident that when Paul appeared before Festus, being wrongly judged and convicted by the corrupt and evil religious authorities of the day and unable to receive righteous judgment from them, he appealed to the temporal civil magistrate to protect him from the murderous intentions of the Jews.

Martin Luther and John Knox were examples of Reformers who were protected by the people and by the civil authorities after being wrongly convicted and condemned to death by evil religious powers intent on maintaining their corrupt doctrines against the declared will of a Sovereign God.

To those who would condemn me for daring to compare my treatment with these eminent persons, I appeal to the words of Mr. Knox who defended himself against that charge thusly:

“…as God is immutable so is the verity of His glorious Evangel of equal dignity whensoever it is impugned, be the members suffering never so weak.  What I think touching mine own person, God shall reveal when the secrets of the hearts shall be disclosed, and such as with whom I have been conversant can partly witness what arrogance or pride they espy in me.  But touching the doctrine and cause which that adulterous and pestilent generation of Antichrist’s servants (who will be called bishops among you) have condemned in me, I neither fear nor shame to confess and avow before man and angel to be the eternal truth of the eternal God.  And in that case I doubt not to compare myself with any member in whom the truth hath been impugned since the beginning.” (John Knox – The Appellation, 1558)

In the former days the religious enemies of God were not withheld from committing physical murder against those whom they have viciously hated, so most often the intent of murder in the heart was eventually made manifest by the attempted murder by the hand.  This principle in no way hints that their inability to murder Luther and Knox by hand lessens the inevitable judgment of the murderous intents of the heart.  Corrupt rulers just as surely spiritually committed murder in their hearts against the righteous messengers of God who were otherwise protected physically by God from the rage and sin of Satan’s priests.   As Jesus said, “Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment.” (Matt. 5:21-22)

That I have been wrongly judged by the religious authorities in various places including in this country of Australia will be made manifest by an examination of their evil actions and their disdain for justice in so doing.  And in examining these judges it should be known that the outward lives of unrighteous religious powers were rarely marked by riotous living and outward manifestation of open sin.  They were rarely strikers, winebibbers and adulterers in their flesh.  The outward religiousness of their lives (having scrupulously cleaned the outside of the cup) tended to hide the prideful inward wickedness of their corrupt and lying hearts.  The attainment of human control over their carnal flesh was the element by which they rationalized their unrighteous judgment of those who God sent to rebuke their foul doctrines.

Just over a year ago in our home fellowship in Texas we faced the cowardly denunciation of religious Pharisees, who rejecting the Grace Doctrines plainly taught in scripture, brought every manner of false accusation against me and my person.  I implored the proper authorities to allow me to offer biblical defense against the charges – but such defense was denied me in all cases.  Rather than search out the scriptures to see the Truth of those things which I openly taught, my adversaries brought charges against my person, my behavior, my temper and my manner of living.  And although I plainly declare my imperfection and sin in many of those cases, as I daily fall short of the Glory of God so long as I continue to walk in my flesh, my adversaries amplified those sins of temper and life so as to make me out as a son of the devil and not an eager servant of God.

I begged and pleaded to be allowed to hear from my accusers and to make proper defense where such defense could be biblically offered, but I was denied the opportunity unless I would plainly confess guilt to all the charges before any such hearing could be arranged.  In the plain words of one of my accusers I was to be considered guilty from the outset merely because I would not confess guilt before a hearing could be arranged.  In the mean time, my accusers railed against me in private just as they do to this day, by phone calls and messages spreading accusations against me without regard to truth or respect for the law of God.

In my appeal to my mentor and teacher I begged for the opportunity to face my accusers with meekness so that my defense could be plainly heard.  I was more than willing that the Holy Scriptures and the Holy Spirit would be the only and final arbiters of Truth – but I was denied such an opportunity.  My accusers would not appear because, according to them, I am too gifted a speaker and a debater.  I then agreed to be judged by the fellowship, even by judges to be selected by my accusers.  When this was also refused I pleaded to be allowed to face my accusers even agreeing to remain totally silent before them and to make no defense, after which I would peacefully accept whatever penalty they would choose to mete out to me.  Once again even such a corrupt justice was refused.  My wife and left that fellowship after being disgraced and murdered by the evil and pernicious ways of religious men and women.

Our current time is ever so more corrupt in that the bishops, preachers, elders, pastors, popes and corrupt religious Pharisees of our modern age are not even willing to pronounce a physical death sentence against God’s servants, rather they murder privately and engage in murmurous assassinations in private because their deeds are darkness and they fear with an obvious dread the light of day.

As we began to preach the gospel here in the country of Australia, the lay people received the word with gladness.  Excitement about God’s Gospel spread like wildfire.  At first even the religious leaders rejoiced at the word, because their idolatrous false gospel had not yet been challenged.  One of them pronounced my first sermon, “The greatest sermon he had ever heard”.  But when their Arminian, hyper-dispensational idolatrous altars were crushed before their eyes out of the plain Word of God, they rushed to rebuild them with panic in their eyes.  Refusing to accept the plain teaching of Scripture, they fumbled through their pop-prophecy books for any defense they could mount against God’s plain truths.  Unable to make a biblical defense for their blatant fouling of God’s precious sheep, they began their assassination plots in private.  The phones began ringing, and email messages rocketed around Australia.

Once again the private murders of the religious order abound.  Unrighteous judgment, pronounced in darkness, is heralded by the corrupt agents of the enemy.  The leaders have been exhorted by righteous men to bring their accusations forward so that they can be examined in the light of day.  So far they have refused to do so.  We have been renounced as heretics in private, while in public the same men and women flee from our faces.  As hundreds of God’s children in Australia hear the message of freedom and rejoice, scores of foul birds lurk in the shadows looking for the opportunity to snatch the seed as soon as it is planted.   Once again we see God’s great sword of Truth divide asunder that which is flesh and that which is Spirit.

I implore those ministers who still claim obedience to Jesus Christ and His glorious Gospel to heed and obey His Word.  The thirteenth chapter of Romans gives unto those religious authorities the right and responsibility to examine Christian teaching according to God’s Word, and to pronounce righteous judgment regarding my service unto God and his sheep.  For this cause the scripture commands that I “must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake.” (Romans 13:5)  But my service and honor unto religious rulers is conditioned in those same scriptures, as it plainly defines a proper authority as one who serves justice, punishes malefactors, rewards the righteous, and bears the sword of Justice against those who pollute and blind the sheep of God.

Having been denied such righteous judgment, and having been murdered by those who reject the Truth of scripture, I give them space to do that service for which they have been sanctified and called.  I pray that they repent of their offenses before God and men, and that they humbly submit themselves to God’s Word as it is required of them in the Bible.  I pray that they renounce the works of darkness, and publicly rebuke those who remain in them.

By the stated precedent set by the apostles and prophets of God I refuse and decline to be judged by unrighteous and corrupt rulers.  I appeal unto the people for justice, and pray that the people will plainly refuse to hear the rantings and murderous slanders of those who work darkness.   I declare and openly teach the Doctrines of Grace as taught by the Apostles and Reformers.  I rest on the authority of Holy Scripture and appeal to it as the only truth whereby I consent to be judged, and I plainly claim that,

“my battle is against the proud and cruel hypocrites of this age, as that battle of those most excellent instruments was against the false prophets and malignant church of their ages, neither ought any man think it strange that I compare myself with them with whom I sustain a common cause; neither ought you, my Lords, judge yourself less addebted and bound to me, calling for your support, than did the princes of Judah think themselves bound to Jeremiah whom for that time they delivered notwithstanding the sentence of death pronounced against him by the visible church.” – (John Knox, The Appellation, 1558)

History has shown that the visible church forever rejects the plain simplicity of the Gospel, and that the rulers are inevitably led to the worship of printed fables, religious pomp, and the traditions of men.  The pop-prophecy, co-redemptive Arminian gospel has swept over the globe, and is being trumpeted by the blind, ignorant, proud and avaricious priests who, having become dumb dogs, commit murder in their hearts against all those who refuse to incline themselves to such evil and concocted fables.  Our Gospel is not the Gospel of the prophecy books, but is the very Gospel of Grace entrusted to us by Jesus Christ who bled and died on the Cross for our freedom.  And those of us who have been freed by Christ, are free indeed. 

I am your servant in Christ Jesus,

Michael Bunker