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I’d like to begin by sharing two quotes from two different books of the Bible, although they were both written by the same person, and to the same person.
The first is from 1 Timothy, and it reads, “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils.” (1Tim 4:1)
In his second letter to Timothy, Paul expands on the reason why this happens: “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine, for the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.” (2Tim 4:2-4)
The reason why some turned away from the faith, and the reason why they turn away from it today, is because of two reasons that conspire together against them. First, they (the hearers, not the teachers) have “itching ears.” They have an eagerness to hear doctrines that please the flesh, that excuse the weakness of the carnal man, and that provide comfort to those who are not willing to die to self, and be alive through Christ.
Second, they have found teachers that invent and develop such doctrines, doctrines that speak of a God who they claim to be a God of love, but in reality does not love them enough to break the chains of sin that bind their souls. He is loving enough to forgive them their sins, and that is praiseworthy so far as it goes, but after forgiving them, this so-called God of love does nothing to raise them out of the very danger that killed them the first time. Not wounded… but killed.
There is a lack of understanding of what inspiration calls “the sinfulness of sin.” The wages of sin is death. There are few statements more direct in the Bible than that… Romans 6:23 tells us that the wages of sin is death. Adam was told that in the same day he transgressed Yahweh’s law, he would die. He did die. Any life that he had in him naturally, by virtue of being a created son of God, was forfeited, and thereafter he was held together only by the direct and deliberate application of grace. As it is written, in Adam, all die. (1Cor 15:22) That verse continues to tell us that “even so, in Christ shall all be made alive,” but that “all” refers to all and only those who understand and acknowledge the first part of that statement.
Sin, any sin, cuts one off from the source of life, and it is only by infinite mercy that a sinner survives long enough to be given the opportunity to repent. It is only by infinite mercy that judgment is reserved for a day in the future, so that mankind may hear of the Savior, and submit, in humility and with gratitude that can never be sufficient, to Christ’s healing Spirit.
Knowing this, understanding this, humanity should run to the victory that is offered. They should seek out, with great urgency, the First Gospel Angel that speaks of it. Yahshua relates a parable in Matthew’s Gospel: “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.” (Mat 13:45, 46) Victory over Sin, Righteousness by Faith, is the great key to that Kingdom, which is worth far more than any earthly treasure, which is here for a time, and then passes away. But those with itching ears do not want to be told about the consequences of their choices. They do not want to feel godly sorrow for their actions, or to repent of their sins, which means to turn away from them utterly, so that they are never repeated.
And of course, there are these false teachers, these sellers of false gold. They are the vendors of the doctrines of devils, eager to speak a word of comfort to the flesh. They make merchandise of men’s souls, who will trade their everlasting security for the things of the world. They are the Priests of Ba’al, the Prophets of Ba’al. They are the ancient enemy of Elijah the Prophet, and I call them by this name specifically, for reasons that will shortly become apparent.
The false teachers substitute sentiment and sympathy for true Agape love. They teach that mankind is a helpless victim to Satan, to the flesh, and to circumstances. And while it is true that mankind, alone, is helpless against these things, mankind is not alone.
Sin is a choice, especially willful sin. One guilty of deliberate sin is not a victim, he is a participant with demons, an accomplice in the violation of Yahweh’s law. This is why a direct testimony is needed. This is why a message that may strike, at times, more sharply than that borne by John the Baptist, must be employed. Sinners have been told that they are without recourse, but must – and will – sin repeatedly, because they dwell in a sinful flesh too corrupt for even a holy spirit to subdue.
But if they are to have any hope of genuine repentance, they must be disabused of this doctrine of devils, this “fable,” as Paul names it. So let us be direct about this. If you’ve sincerely prayed to God to cease from sin, you have prayed according to His will. He HAS answered your prayer, and you HAVE been set free. It is as simple as that.
“But,” one might protest, “I did offer that prayer, and yet I continue in sin.” But they know the answer to that. God has not ignored their request. They simply did not believe that He had answered their prayer. They did not live in that belief. Remember the example of Peter walking on water… some have used this as an example of what a Christian is to be. No, this is an example from which a Christian may learn what to be.
The difference is, we succeed where Peter did not. Once we submit that prayer, “Set me free from sin,” then we believe it is heard, and we believe that it is granted. We probably won’t start floating in the air. No warm glow may settle on us. We might not even feel a particle cleaner than we did before we made that prayer. But the power and willingness and reality of Yahweh granting our prayers does not depend in the slightest on our feelings that He has done so. They are made manifest by our faith that He has done so.
How are feelings different from faith? The Spirit is not like the flesh. The Spirit and the flesh are separate because of sin, and cannot always detect one another. But those who walk in that spirit find that their flesh obeys, because it must. The spirit is subject to the flesh in the carnal man. But in the man that believes, truly believes, 100% unquestionably believes, the flesh is caged, dominated by the spirit, and powerless to affect the choices. I do not say the flesh is made holy. It is not. I do not say the temptations vanish away. They do not. Flesh and blood must be transformed before one can stand before the Creator… but all that is “us” will be preserved when that glorifying transformation occurs. But it is only Yahweh, Elohim, the true God and Father who can do this.
There is no other God, not in fiction, nor fable, nor superstition, nor any pagan religion, who promises to do anything even remotely approaching this great salvation.
Let’s illustrate this from the passage that gave this study its name. In the interest of time, I wanted to skip some verses from this chapter, but it is a record of sacred history with which every saint ought to be very well acquainted, especially in these last days, so we will take the time to read it out. Every word is important:
“And it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said unto him, ‘Art thou he that troubleth Israel?’ And he answered, ‘I have not troubled Israel; but thou, and thy father’s house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of Yahweh, and thou hast followed Ba’alim [the Ba’als, the false gods]. Now therefore send, and gather to me all Israel unto Mount Carmel, and the prophets of Baal four hundred and fifty, and the prophets of the groves four hundred, which eat at Jezebel’s table.’
“So Ahab sent unto all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together unto Mount Carmel. And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, ‘How long halt ye between two opinions? If Yahweh be God, follow him; but if Ba’al, then follow him.’ And the people answered him not a word.
“Then said Elijah unto the people, ‘I, even I only, remain a prophet of Yahweh; but Ba’al’s prophets are four hundred and fifty men. Let them therefore give us two bullocks, and let them choose one bullock for themselves, and cut it in pieces, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under. And I will dress the other bullock, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under. And call ye on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of Yahweh, and the God that answereth by fire, let him be Elohim [let him be Almighty].’ And all the people answered and said, ‘It is well spoken.’
“And Elijah said unto the prophets of Ba’al, ‘Choose you one bullock for yourselves, and dress it first, for ye are many; and call on the name of your gods, but put no fire under.’ And they took the bullock which was given them, and they dressed it, and called on the name of Ba’al from morning even until noon, saying, ‘O Ba’al, hear us.’ But there was no voice, nor any that answered. And they leaped upon the altar which was made.
“And it came to pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said, ‘Cry aloud, for he is a god; either he is talking, or he is pursuing [a euphemism for going to the bathroom], or he is in a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awaked.’
“And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner [so we see what kind of religion this is] with knives and lancets, till the blood gushed out upon them. And it came to pass, when midday was past, and they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that there was neither voice, nor any to answer, nor any that regarded.
“And Elijah said unto all the people, ‘Come near unto me.’ And all the people came near unto him. And he repaired the altar of Yahweh that was broken down. And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, unto whom the word of Yahweh came, saying, ‘Israel shall be thy name,’ and with the stones he built an altar in the name of Yahweh; and he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two measures of seed. And he put the wood in order, and cut the bullock in pieces, and laid him on the wood, and said, ‘Fill four barrels with water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice, and on the wood.’ And he said, ‘Do it the second time.’ And they did it the second time. And he said, ‘Do it the third time.’ And they did it the third time.
“And the water ran round about the altar; and he filled the trench also with water. And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, ‘Yahweh, Almighty One of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that Thou art God in Israel, and that I am Thy servant, and that I have done all these things at Thy word. Hear me, O Yahweh, hear me, that this people may know that Thou art Yahweh Elohim, and that Thou hast turned their heart back again.
“Then the fire of Yahweh fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.
“And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, ‘Yahweh, He is the God; Yahweh, he is the Elohim.’
And Elijah said unto them, ‘Take the prophets of Ba’al; let not one of them escape.’ And they took them: and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and slew them there.” (1Kings 18:17 – 40)
That’s quite a long passage, but every word of it is important. In the interest of time, I am going to get right to the point. In this contest, this showdown, between Yahweh and Ba’al, what was the fundamental failure of the pagan god? What was it that proved that the prophets of Ba’al had placed their trust in a false deity? It is that he did nothing. Their god did nothing. When the priests of Ba’al prayed, sometimes they perceived that their prayers were answered, and sometimes they did not. Even when it came down to something as important as the lives of his prophets, the life and death of his servants, Ba’al did nothing. There was no guarantee, no promise, and no power. Ba’al could not save his servants. He had no strength.
How is it with the God that we serve? “Yahweh thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; He will save, He will rejoice over thee with joy; He will rest in His love, He will joy over thee with singing.” (Zeph 3:17) The Angel said of Mary, “And she shall bring forth a Son, and thou shalt call His name Yahshua, for He shall save His people from their sins.” (Mat 1:21) That word “from” specifically means “out of.” Its primary meaning is “separation;” thus, He will separate His people from their sins, and therefore save them.
The God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel is all mighty, and He is mighty to save. He is not silent. He is not powerless. He accomplishes what His Word declares. When He says to you, through His Son, “Go, and sin no more,” in that word is power, is spirit, and is life.
But here is the question, for all who may hear or read this: Do you believe it? Do you truly believe it?
Do not answer hastily. Everyone who calls himself or herself a Christian is taught to say, “I believe it, of course I believe it.” But let each one search his or her heart, in the privacy and darkness of the prayer closet. Some will realize they are merely repeating things they have been taught were true, but never accepted it into their hearts themselves. Some will realize that they have been relying on the promises of God, of everlasting life, simply because the alternative – hell, or nothingness – is too terrible to accept. That is not love; that is fear disguised as faithfulness. Some will realize that their experience with religion has been an emotional one, or a social one, a connection with others who say agreeable things… but they will flee from a pricked conscience, or a rebuke, in favor of smoother things.
I am persuaded better things of those with whom I fellowship, but the invitation is extended. If anyone finds himself, or herself, in any of these categories, then do not shrink from the truth. Acknowledge the sinfulness of sin. Accept that you are “dead in trespasses and sins,” but then accept life. Each of those verses that speaks of the wages of sin, and that in Adam all die, has a follow-up, that life is ours through Christ Yahshua. But He must be sought with genuine repentance, with true sorrow for transgressing the Creator’s Law, and with a helpless dependence on His love and mercy to redeem us.
If any find themselves in any of these categories, ask for faith. And then, believe that you have received it. And then, live in that faith. “The just shall live by faith.” (Heb 10:38)
But believing this also means accepting, admitting, that you have been deceived by a priest of Ba’al. Those unbelievers who appear to be genuine, who may consider themselves to be genuine, have fallen prey to the priesthood of Ba’al, and worship a God who has never promised to save them from, out of, their sins.
There are many who rejoice that they have “the truth,” the true doctrines of God, and yet they are dancing before an empty altar. Let me ask a straight question, perhaps a dangerous question considering our times, and the current trends within Adventism: Which is worse? A God in Three parts, or a God who does not save from sin?
If God was a Trinity, but everything else said about Him in the Bible were true, what would really change? And I realize, this could get me labeled as a Trinitarian apologist among some, but I am urging some clarity, and I want us all to be aware of just how subtle, how sinister, this worship of Ba’al has become. If there was a “God the Holy Spirit,” but everything else said about the Creator in the Bible were true, He would love us, He would save us, and He would give us everlasting life. He would teach us to be kind to our neighbors, and to follow the Law. The universe would be a bit different, yes, and some things wouldn't quite make sense... but this alone would not negate the other promises of the Bible directly, including the promise of salvation from sin, and consequently everlasting life.
But what of a God who does not keep His people from sinning? What of a God who saved His people IN their sins, without transforming them by His creative power? If such a God were to give to mankind everlasting life, and take them to Heaven with an untried character inserted into holy bodies incapable of sin… think about what that would mean. It would not be the character that kept men from sin in eternity, but the nature of their physical beings. Without getting too deep into the theology of this, such a God would be fulfilling the very purpose of Lucifer at the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. He would prove Satan right, that mankind cannot obey the Law, unless he were forced to do so. God would keep them from sin in Heaven, not by sharing His Spirit with us, as He does right this very moment, but only by removing all temptation, and all opportunity to indulge in transgression.
What could God say to us in Heaven to keep us from sinning, that He has not already told us on earth? Consider the question carefully, because if you are waiting for some secret doctrine to save you from sin, or for a glorified body to keep you from sin, then Christianity has already passed you by. What will make us holy in Heaven is the same thing by which Christ declares us holy right here on earth. It is character – the character of Christ – that guarantees an eternity free from suffering and sorrow. Only that. You know, all the way back in the third book of the Bible, we are told this, by way of direction: “Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy, for I am Yahweh your God.” (Lev 20:7) Thousands of years later, some who claim to be Yahweh’s servants still struggle to obey even the simplest of His instructions.
The point I am making is this: The priests of Ba’al are those who preach this false God who is powerless to save. It does not matter what else they believe and teach, or what else they get correct. If they are not preaching a God who is mighty to save, and to save His people out of their sins, and to save His people this very instant, their God has no power. Some of these prophets of Ba’al are Trinitarian, yes, of course… but as many are non-Trinitarian. In either case, their God is powerless to save. They take sides. They draw artificial lines in the sand. They call each other heretics and pagans, these Trinitarians and Anti-Trinitarians. But who are they to judge the other, when neither of them is truly standing before the altar of Yahweh the God of Elijah the prophet?
You know, Adventists speak of Pantheism as the “Alpha of deadly heresy,” and expect that an Omega of deadly heresy is to follow. Some of them have come to believe the Trinitarianism is this final, deadly deception. But they did not get that idea from any Bible verse or prophetic writing. You see, they did not understand why the Alpha was so deadly… how, then, can they identify its successor?
The apostle Peter has already told us what the deadly heresy is for the last days, and specifically tells us that it will be taught by false prophets, prophets of a false god. He writes, “But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.” (2Pet 2:1)
“Damnable heresies,” he writes, “denying the Lord that bought them.” Who is the Lord that bought them? Brother L’s studies recently have mentioned several times that in the Book of Revelation, Christ’s work on our behalf is described as literally “buying” us from this world of death. “And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders; and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth.” (Rev 14:3) That word “redeemed” literally means to be found in the marketplace, to be purchased from the market.
And what does it mean to deny this Lord, this Yahshua, who purchased us? Remember what His very name means, “Yah saves.” To deny the Lord Yahshua is literally “To deny that Yah saves,” especially when Peter emphasizes, “The Lord that bought them.”
It doesn’t get more Omega of deadly heresy than that, and it is about the very thing that Pantheism disrupted in Ellen White’s day… a clear view of the nature of the Father and Son, and the work of Their Spirit. Am I saying that this is the only way that this warning can be fulfilled? No… but I am saying, study carefully, and pray, because anyone who believes in a God that does not save, save here on earth in preparation for Heaven, has been deceived by a most deadly heresy indeed in these final hours. A denial of the Victory message is a denial of the One who purchased us, and purchased that Victory for us.
Of course, Lucifer is not so direct as to have his servants teach, “We believe in a God that does not save.” He is much more subtle than that, and many of his deceptions are bound up in words like “wait,” like “not yet,” like “someday.”
The modern priests of Ba’al say, “God will save… eventually. He will save… in part. He will save… you spiritually, but not your body just yet.” They will give Bible studies according to their understanding, and post messages on Facebook designed to comfort the sinner in his victimhood, rather than raising him to life in power. You see, they will dance around Ba’al’s altar from morning until the time of the evening sacrifice saying, “He’s coming soon, He’s almost here. Get ready to be saved.” Like their predecessors, they get no answer from Heaven. They even cut themselves... they wound themselves, they wound each other, arguing, their self-righteousness a cover for their sinful passions. But they get no answer from Heaven. Meanwhile, what Elijah is doing is saying to Israel, calmly, lovingly, “Come near unto me.” That’s the Third Angel’s message: “Come near unto me. Let’s rebuild this altar in Israel.”
That is the work of Elijah, Eli-Yah, whose very name means, “My God is Yah.”
There is much more that could be said about this topic, but for today, I would like to close with a verse that shows the present power of Yahweh to save His people out of their sins through His Son. The Son, Yahshua, says this, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on Me hath everlasting life.” (John 6:47)
While the prophets of Ba’al are waiting for their god to send them fire from Heaven, the true believers have their Pentecost. Fire comes down from Heaven, and rests upon our foreheads, as in the days of the Former Rain. And it does so, because we know, and believe in, verses like this one. We do not say, “God will save... some day.” Or teach, “You’ll figure this out, this righteousness thing, just before probation closes.” No, whosoever believes in the Son of Yahweh “hath,” “has,” today, right now, this very instant, everlasting life. I looked this verse up in every version of the Bible I was able to find, and those words are never once rendered in future tense. They are all present. They are all, right now. If you believe in Yahshua, if you worship Yahweh, and not Ba’al, then you have everlasting life. Fire has come down from Heaven, and purged your sins. In that, you may confidently rejoice.
And what of the end of the record? Remember what happened to those false prophets, to those priests of Ba’al. They were all destroyed. Their false god, Ba’al, the false husband of the world, he can do nothing, and he will have an end. The fallen angel that receives worship in this disguise will find his inheritance in the Lake of Fire. His priests, fittingly, will follow him into destruction. Now, we do not glory over the death of the wicked, just as our Father does not, but when those who have led others away from everlasting life meet their end, we will – with solemnity, but also with a fulfilled sense of justice – praise our Redeemer, and acknowledge that “He doeth all things well.”
Let us not join ourselves unto one who will meet such destruction. Let us rest our souls on Him who is mighty to save us, and has promised to do so – not someday, but today, this very moment for those who come to Him in need. Let us put our trust entirely on Him who is able to keep us from falling, and will present us faultless before the Throne, where we will abide forever, for there we shall truly be home. There we shall find our inheritance.
David.