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I want to start by asking a question: “What are we doing here?” The question seems like an obvious one to ask, but it can be interpreted in a number of different ways. For the purposes of sanctification, and our relationship with our Creator, a number of different angles may be important, but for today, I would ask it specifically in this way: “As a Church, what are we doing here?”
The Church has two purposes that are outlined in Scripture – only two. There are a number of blessings that come along with those purposes, such as a place of gathering and fellowship for the saints, and an avenue through which Yahweh can have mercy on the poor and the sick… but these are not its primary purposes.
One purpose we have examined at some length in previous studies. Drawing upon a commonly quoted passage of the Bible, we read: “And God hath set some in the Church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.” (1Cor 12:28) And why He did this is revealed in a similar passage in another of Paul’s letters: “For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.” (Eph 4:12)
There we actually find the two purposes laid out. Yahweh has given His people gifts of various kinds for both an internal purpose and an external purpose. The perfecting of the saints, which is the result of “the edifying of the Body of Christ,” is an internal goal. It is the power of the Holy Spirit among those who have united in covenant with the Father and Son. It is where they learn what sanctification is. Being justified by conversion to the life of Christ, they come to understand spiritual principles through “rules of thumb,” through thought processing, and through mutual interactions. As the Book of Malachi tells us, “Then they that feared Yahweh spake often one to another, and Yahweh hearkened, and heard it, and a Book of Remembrance was written before Him for them that feared Yahweh, and that thought upon His name.” (Mal 3:16)
When the saints speak to one another, Yahweh pays attention. The interaction of the brethren is of keen importance to the Father, and to the witnessing universe. We practice Heavenly conversation, and discover in a very natural way those things that are acceptable, and those that are not, among holy beings.
Paul’s letter to the Ephesians also mentions “the work of the ministry.” This is a second, external goal, and one that I would like to examine today in more detail. What is the work of the ministry? There are many misunderstandings about what a ministry is, and what it is supposed to do.
The word “ministry” means “service.” Both the Old and New Testament words are translated from terms in their original languages that mean “to serve,” to help others, to provide for their needs. This is not limited to preaching and teaching, of course. There is a health ministry, for example. And while these things are interconnected, they all have one purpose… and it is a purpose of our Father’s choosing, if that ministry is really of divine origin.
I have encountered many ministries in the course of my service to Yahweh. They all claim to ultimately be serving the Gospel – to being a Gospel Ministry – but often they have “themes.” There are ministries dedicated to promoting Sabbath-keeping, or an understanding of prophecy, or correcting Trinitarianism, or diet reform, or dress reform. These may not be the only topics discussed by the various ministries, but they certainly take center stage, each convinced that it has hit upon the “most important issue” facing the Christian world today.
But the Almighty does not call upon any ministry, or upon any individual minister, to specialize in these things. Remember what “temperance” is? It is to avoid that which is bad, and to use that which is good in its proper amount and concentration. The issues that the various independent ministries are known for, the things by which they make a name for themselves, are only valuable if they are given their proper position – as supporting issues for the one true topic that our Father would have His servants promote.
Of course, the Bible tells us what that one true subject of ministry must be. This is how you can tell whether a ministry is from Yahweh, or if it is from the mind of men… if this is its central, consuming theme.
We read of it in prophecy. You may recall a study I gave some time ago, in which I made the claim, and supported it, that if a Church today does not claim to have a living gift of prophecy, it cannot be the Church described in the New Testament. It cannot be the genuine Bride of Christ. Today I make another, similar, bold claim: If a Church has a “ministry” that is not centered on this topic, it is not the work of Yahweh.
Here are the last two verses of the Hebrew Bible, of the Old Testament, which contained all the information necessary for a sincere believer to recognize Christ when He would appear: “Behold, I will send you Eli-Yah the Prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of Yahweh; and he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.” (Mal 4:5, 6)
We know that this is a symbolic prophecy, and not a return of the man Elijah, because Christ applied it to another individual in the days of His earthly ministry. There is a record of His disciples asking Him about the meaning of these very verses from Malachi, and His response. This takes place following Yahshua’s transfiguration, where He was seen in the brightness of divine glory, speaking with a resurrected Moses and a translated Elijah: “And as they came down from the mountain, Yahshua charged them, saying, ‘Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of Man be risen again from the dead.’ And His disciples asked Him, saying, ‘Why then say the scribes that Elias must first come?’
“And Yahshua answered and said unto them, ‘Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things. But I say unto you, That Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them.’ Then the disciples understood that He spake unto them of John the Baptist.” (Mat 17:9-13)
Having just seen Elijah in his glorified form, the disciples were surprised when Yahshua told them to keep the event to themselves until after He had died and been raised back to life. After all, they said, the Scripture tells us that Elijah must come first, so wouldn’t this be strong evidence that Yahshua was the awaited Messiah? But Christ said that this Elijah that they had just seen, the actual individual named Elijah, was not the one that was relevant to His first advent. It was the one who had gone before Him, announcing His imminent appearance.
In situations where an important individual is about to arrive at a city, or a town, or to give a speech in public, there is always someone of lesser importance who goes before and announces what is about to take place. This is an office known as a “Herald.” This word is found only one time in the English Bible, translated from Aramaic, not Hebrew, but it is in a very significant place. We read, “Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof six cubits. He set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon.
“Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent to gather together the princes, the governors, and the captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counsellors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, to come to the dedication of the image which Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up […] Then an herald cried aloud, ‘To you it is commanded, O people, nations, and languages, that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up. And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.’” (Dan 3:1, 2, 4 – 6)
Now, what I am about to do with this passage may surprise you…
What is described here is an image, a pagan reflection, of the true fulfillment of the prophecy of the Savior. A shining figure was to appear, the “express image” of the King. He would rule over all the earth, and before He is to be presented to the world, a herald indicates the importance of what they are about to witness, calling for worship, and explaining that those who do not bow down will be destroyed for their rebellious refusal.
That sounds very similar, doesn’t it? We read what John the Baptist preached: “I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance; but He that cometh after me is mightier than I, Whose shoes I am not worthy to bear. He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire, whose fan is in his hand, and He will throughly purge His floor, and gather His wheat into the garner; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” (Mat 3:11, 12)
John the Baptist was the Herald of Yahshua the Messiah in His first appearance in human form. The elements are all there… bow before the golden One to come, or be burned up with unquenchable fire. In this case it was a true image, a truly divine figure, as opposed to Nebuchadnezzar’s arrogant creation, but beyond that the parallel is impossible to miss.
So then, the prophecy is fulfilled, isn’t it? John the Baptist is the Elijah of the New Testament, and we can put away Malachi 4. Except that, John the Baptist is not the only New Testament fulfillment of the office of the divine Herald. Christ comes to the earth not once, but twice, and the office is appointed for both occasions. We read now this most frequently cited of passages: “And I saw another angel fly in the midst of Heaven, having the Everlasting Gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, saying with a loud voice, ‘Fear God, and give glory to Him; for the hour of His judgment is come…’” (Rev 14:6, 7)
That is the First Angel’s message, calling a people to judgment, because the Son of Yahweh, the express Image of His Person, is about to appear again. And as we read the Second and Third Angel, we find the elements appearing again… “Babylon is fallen,” says the second angel. When that happens, there is a loud noise. Here is a verse we probably haven’t seen very often before: “At the noise of the taking of Babylon the earth is moved, and the cry is heard among the nations.” (Jer 50:46)
When Babylon falls, there is a great noise, a noise simulated by the sound of many musical instruments of different kinds under King Nebuchadnezzar, each making a tremendous blast. The mingling of flutes, and harps and dulcimers and other kinds of instruments was not to produce any kind of melodious result, but to make a loud noise that could be heard from very far away… and that would be the signal to bow before the image. When the Second Angel says, “Babylon is fallen,” that is a signal… a clear signal that ends the confusion about who Yahweh is for all who have ears to hear, and at the noise of it they will know to bow before the Son of Yahweh in worship, to manifest that character that they received when they heeded the First Angel’s call.
And then, of course, the Third Angel completes the pattern, saying, “Any who will not bow, but instead submits to the Mark of the Beast, will be burned up in everlasting fire.” It is complete, it is consistent, and it is perfect. Before every advent of Yahshua, there is a Herald, an announcer of the glorious Being who is about to appear, and in these last days, the role of Eli-Yah is represented by the Three Angels’ Message, and the ministry of the saints that is appointed by the Divine King.
Any Church, any ministry, that does not focus on the Three Angels’ Message, is not called out of the wilderness and confusion of Babylon to prepare a people to stand in the Judgment, and to live with Him in glory for ceaseless ages. It really is that simple.
Ironically, the closing verses of the Old Testament, often mis-labeled as a harsh, judgmental collection of Books, describes the ministry of the Herald in beautiful, moving terms. Let us read them again: “Behold, I will send you Eli-Yah the Prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of Yahweh; and he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.” (Mal 4:5, 6)
Yes, judgment is mentioned. There is a curse on those who will not bow before the Son of Yahweh on the day of His appearing, but that is not the most important part… it is the description of the “work of the Ministry” that Paul indicated in his letter to the Church in Ephesus. It is to turn hearts. It is not to defeat in debate. It is not to convince intellectually. It is not to silence the voice of opposition by force or by resistance. It is to turn the heart of the sinner back to Yahweh, and to turn the heart of Yahweh to the sinner. We introduce them to one another, and let a relationship take root.
Of course, the heart of Yahweh is already toward the sinner; we do not need to convince Him to love even the vilest of degenerates, but we need to reveal that heart, because the Enemy has drawn a dark veil over the loving character of our Creator, so that His words are misinterpreted, His gestures are misunderstood, and His efforts to win them are cast aside.
As for the heart of the sinner… as we saw last week in our review of The Parable of the Ten Virgins, we cannot buy oil for anyone else’s lamp. We cannot believe on behalf of anyone else; however, the work of the Herald is to announce, to facilitate, and to prepare. By our ministry we reflect light from Heaven into the darkness of these hearts, and let the light itself do the work of cracking through that stony shell of selfishness, ignorance, and guilt. Yah says, “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.” (Ezek 36:26) And of that heart of flesh we read: “Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men, forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.” (2Cor 3:2, 3)
Those of us who know that we teach the Three Angels’ Message, those of us who know that we are sent in the power and spirit of Eli-Yah can draw great strength from these words: “he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers.” He shall. He will do it. He will succeed at doing it, just as the original Elijah brought rain upon Israel, and just as John the Baptist prepared the Israelites to receive Yahshua’s earthly appearance. We are as the Word of Yahweh, sent out into the world, and we shall not return unto Him empty.
I said, just now, that any ministry that does not focus on the Three Angels’ Message is not a legitimate ministry of Yahweh’s Kingdom. Seen through the lens of our Malachi 4 prophecy, we may say that another way, a way perhaps more meaningful to some: Any ministry that does not focus on turning the hearts of sinners to Yahweh, and the heart of Yahweh to sinners, is not appointed by Him to any service.
Contrary to how that maybe understood, the focus is not on doctrinal orthodoxy, and it never was. Not in the Old Testament, and not in the New. Having the truth about the Bible’s teachings is wonderful. It is necessary to complete our sanctification, as we seek translation without seeing death. Knowing that Saturday is the Sabbath, and that the Trinity doctrine is a confusing and dangerous error, and that unclean meats are bad for your health – that is all light from Heaven, and forms a necessary part of learning what “righteousness” is. But “the work of the ministry” involves first teaching those in the world that they must be justified… they must be made just, otherwise none of these other matters hold any meaning.
Remember, the Church has two purposes, and the sanctification aspect of it takes place within its walls, for those who are already converted to, and covenanted to, seeking first the Kingdom of Heaven. For everyone else, “the work of the ministry” is the purpose to which we are called. It is to reflect Heaven’s light at stony hearts, to reveal the character of Yahweh – which is not the same thing as the “nature” of Yahweh (having a Son, for example, is not a character trait, it is a fact that is either true or false). But the character of Yahweh, that He is merciful, and longsuffering, and kind, and as gentle as He can be, that is the thing that wins over the heart. As it is written, “the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance.” (Rom 2:4) That is the thing that turns the hearts from selfishness and error, and when the heart is turned, then it is soft. Then it is capable of learning doctrine and purity of understanding without carnal resistance or distracted motives.
Too many inventions of men that are called “ministries” put the cart before the horse. They seek to secure unity on the basis of commonly shared doctrines, expecting a common spirit to follow. It will not. The Judgment will reveal the foolishness of their course in its proper depth, but the history of Christianity is already littered with the fragmented remains of groups and Churches whose members once held the same beliefs. If you ask the average Methodist what the doctrinal differences are between himself and the typical Anglican, you are unlikely to receive a meaningful reply. They are separated, not because of principled disagreements about the Bible, but something else entirely.
When men have a common spirit, when they have a common love for those aspects of Yah’s character I have listed, when they would rather die than come short of perfection in anything that they can see in Yahshua’s loving Spirit, then they will find their common ground in beliefs and practices appearing as a matter of course, as we all follow the same Pillar of Fire into the Promised Land. Then they will endure unto the end, and be saved.
Let us, then, be clear to our purpose, which is two-fold. Among ourselves, among the brethren, we are to receive all the knowledge that we can, we are to retreat from no opportunity to be sanctified, receiving every situation as a carefully crafted work of providence to edify our minds and hearts. Among the world, we are to show sinners the beautiful Person that our Father is, and that our Savior is. There will arise occasions to speak of doctrines, and teachings, and practices, but until those who hear us are justified, our work as Herald would have us guide the conversation back to the Three Angels: First victory, then purity of doctrine, and then, naturally following, unity against the Beast and its image.
This is the manifestation of the Spiritual Family. We may disagree sometimes, even on doctrinal matters – but you are my family. We may have differing opinions on sensitive issues – but you are my family. We may have different ideas about how to complete the work that is set before us – but you are my family. You may think my words too gentle, or too harsh, at times – but you are my family. None of these matters are sufficient to cause a division, because our unity is not found in any of these things, but in the love we have for our Father above all else, and our love for one another. We are one Spirit, and that Spirit is Holy.
This is the work of Eli-Yah. This is the work of the final ministry… the only work of the one, genuine called-out people, and I know of no people, other than Creation Seventh Day Adventists, who declare themselves to be the Eli-Yah People, the Messengers of the Three Angels, and the Heralds of the Second Advent. These are titles of grave responsibility, solemnly acknowledged, but we do not shrink from this great calling, for we know that Christ is our life, and Yah is our Righteousness. Because of Them, because of Their greatness, we are prophesied to succeed; and so we labor, resting in the Sabbath of Their promises as we gather the Lost Sheep of Israel into a Little Flock.
David.