New Moon Meeting: December 2008, 3:15 EST
Lest The Light

Zahakiel: Brother Abe, will you offer our opening prayer?

Abraham: Father in Heaven,

Thank you for allowing us to meet again in this way to study your truths. Bless brother David to give wisdom and words to express your message for today, and give to those of us who listen understanding to receive the truth, that we all may grow more into your likeness.

In Yahshua’s most holy name, Amen.

Qinael: Amen.

Peterson: Amen.

Ruthie: Amen.

Guerline: Amen.

Naraiel: Amen.

Zahakiel: Amen.

Zahakiel: Today’s topic is called “Lest The Light,” and we will start by reading the entire sixth chapter of the Book of Isaiah:

“In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. Above it stood the Seraphim; each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. And one cried unto another, and said, ‘Holy, holy, holy, is Yahweh of Hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory.’ And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke. Then said I, ‘Woe is me! For I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, Yahweh of Hosts.’

“Then flew one of the Seraphim unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar. And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, ‘Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.’ Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’ Then said I, ‘Here am I; send me.’

“And He said, ‘Go, and tell this people, “Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not.” Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed.’ Then said I, ‘Lord, how long?’ And He answered, ‘Until the cities be wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land be utterly desolate, and Yahweh have removed men far away, and there be a great forsaking in the midst of the land. But yet in it shall be a tenth, and it shall return, and shall be eaten. As a teil tree, and as an oak, whose substance is in them when they cast their leaves, so the holy seed shall be the substance thereof.” (Isa 6:1-13)

This is an amazing chapter for a number of reasons, but a particularly curious portion is found in verses 9 and 10: “And He said, ‘Go, and tell this people, “Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not.” Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed.’”

It turns out to be a popular passage with later Bible writers:

It is quoted in Matthew 13:13-16, beginning with, “Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith… “

It is quoted also in Mark 4:12 and also referenced by Paul in Acts 28.

Zahakiel: We read a very similar idea in 2 Corinthians:

“Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not; but have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God. But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost, in whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.” (2Cor 4:1-4)

This passage is applied to those who will not hear the message, but the question is, why is it phrased this way? Why does it seem that Yahweh is the One hiding the Gospel from those who are unwilling to hear it? That is what we are looking at in this study.

In Exodus, we read that Yahweh “hardened Pharaoh’s heart,” that “Pharaoh’s heart was hardened,” and that “Pharaoh hardened his heart.” In a previous study we looked at those three apparently conflicting statements, and by examining the setting we saw that Yahweh hardened Pharaoh’s heart by providing the circumstances in which the king of Egypt would have to choose between loyalty and rebellion, and Pharaoh hardened it by choosing to stand against the Almighty. As a result, the heart was hardened. There was a perfect consistency there; the only difference was that the three verses are written with a focus on different aspects on the events surrounding Pharaoh’s choice.

The same is true of this incident. We read:

“And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of His mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming, even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: that they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” (2Th 2:8-12)

And again: “Now therefore, behold, Yahweh hath put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these thy prophets, and Yahweh hath spoken evil concerning thee.” (1Ki 22:23)

And one more: “But the Spirit of Yahweh departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from Yahweh troubled him.” (1Sam 16:14)

Zahakiel: This study will allow us to understand all these statements, because at the root they are written for the same purpose. And it is important that we DO understand these things, because we can see from other groups that do not understand them the kinds of misconceptions about Yahweh that result from this failure.

Those who accept only the Old Testament, and see statements such as those in Kings and Samuel without the testimony of Christ and His followers to make the understanding and the faith “perfect” (1Cor 13:10) have a very different conception of Yahweh than we do.

For them, an-eye-for-an-eye is more of an ideal, and a true image of the Creator, than a concession to violent and largely faithless times. For them, obedience is a source of righteousness, rather than a result. For them, Yahweh is more distant, more arbitrary, one who is responsible directly for misfortunes as well as fortunes, and less of the familiar “Father” figure that Yahshua presented Him as being.

Those who attempt to gloss over these things simply say, “God is in control.” While the statement is true, the use of it is not an honest one. It is a way of avoiding an investigation of His character, because this is the character we must emulate in order to truly testify of this faith. Those who use this as a means of avoiding the examination of these unusual statements are those who do not surrender all; Yahweh can have “most” of their lives, but not all, and these statements serve to separate Him from them.

Does everyone see what I mean by that?

Naraiel: Yes.

Abraham: Yes.

Ruthie: Yes.

Happy Rock: Yes.

Zahakiel: It is true, Yahweh is in control; but He has chosen to create us in His image, a creative image with moral responsibility and therefore moral worth. And as He requests of us intelligent worship and freely chosen love, He must (and has) also allow us to understand, as much as we are able, His mind. As we’ve read in other studies, His ways are higher than our ways, but at the same time, He says:

“Surely Adonai Yahweh will do nothing, but [except] He revealeth His secret unto His servants the prophets.” (Amos 3:7)

It is important for us to realize that this “secret” involves more than just what He will do, but also why He will do it. For example: “And the men said unto Lot, ‘Hast thou here any besides? Son in law, and thy sons, and thy daughters, and whatsoever thou hast in the city, bring them out of this place. For we will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxen great before the face of Yahweh; and Yahweh hath sent us to destroy it.” (Gen 19:12, 13)

We see here that Yah, through His angels, is giving humans reasons for what He is doing. And this is just one of a great many examples; type “because” into a Bible search and you will see what I mean. Yahweh is always explaining Himself, though He is under absolutely no obligation to do so.

So, we need to understand the reasons why Yahweh says the things He does, because we are invited to understand. And we must understand, because it is necessary to our sanctification. After all, how can we claim to be “Christ-like” if we cannot explain why the divine nature makes statements such as, “Make the heart of this people fat […] lest they see with their eyes […] and convert, and be healed?”

We must decide what kinds of followers of Christ we want to be, those who follow Him blindly, or those who follow Him reasonably. In the end, those who follow Him blindly are the foolish virgins; they await the Bridegroom (they DO follow Him) but they don’t have enough light to see the obstacles in the way that Satan and the world place before us. They don’t know what to do when it appears the Bridegroom delays, and they cannot recognize the voice calling them to the feast, because it sounds different than they thought it would.

Let me demonstrate what I mean by that, because I want to impress upon you the importance of being able to understand the “difficult verses” like the ones we are studying today.

The Hebrews await a warrior-king Messiah. They did not hear the voice of one crying in the wilderness, announcing the Lamb of Yahweh that took away the sins of the world. The Warrior-King will come, but after His work as High Priest is finished.

The Sundaykeepers, for the most part, expect either a Rapture event that will take them to Heaven where they will be suddenly perfected in character, or for this perfection to come and then they go to Heaven after. Some are simply waiting to die, and to have their disembodied spirits caught up to Heaven where they await a resurrection of the body at some point in the future. They did not hear the voice of the Three Angels’ Message as taught in the Great Awakening that sought to return them to a reverence for the Ten Commandments, and an eager expectation of the soon, physical, visible return of Yahshua.

Zahakiel: The mainstream Seventh-day Adventists are expecting a Sunday Law. Like the Hebrews, they have prophecies that point to this event. Like the Sundaykeeping Protestants, they have books, studies, theologians and pastors that point out how valid it is. What they lack, for the most part, is the knowledge of the character of Yahweh. Yahshua’s Bride does not use force. Yahshua’s Bride does not align herself with the Second Beast of the Apocalyptic prophecy. Yahshua’s Bride does not settle for a Gospel that teaches salvation in Sin. If the doctrine taught a knowledge of the Son of Yah, their leaders (who represent their corporate character before both Heaven and earth) would not have betrayed them into sin, and had they, upon learning it their constituency would have raised a great cry of protest.

Those who seek will find, and this is true of both life eternal and the Character of Yahshua that results therein. Those who are interested will have their eyes open and will seek. Those who have their eyes open will always have questions to ask. If you aren’t asking questions, then there are two things that may be wrong. Either you aren’t studying enough, or you aren’t caring enough about what you are studying. Although the Word of Yahweh is written to be read and understood, we read, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (2Tim 2:15)

By saying that the one truly interested in following Christ will have questions, I don’t necessarily mean that you will come to me, or to Luke, or the church in general with your questions. Sometimes you’ll find them in the next verse, or next chapter, of what you are reading. But you’ll have those questions, because the Word of Yahweh is designed to draw the human mind upward as fast as it can be drawn.

Does everyone understand all this so far?

Qinael: <nods.>

Naraiel: Yes.

Happy Rock: Yes.

Ruthie: Yes.

Abraham: Yes.

Guerline: Yes.

Zahakiel: So with all that in mind, and seeing that it is important to ask questions, we ask ours: “Why does Yahweh say those things we’ve read above?”

The answer is, “Because judgment is not a bad thing.”

Those who read the Scriptures without a proper, or at least an improving, picture of Yah’s character will get the impression that judgment is something to fear. If you think, “Most Christians think that judgment is something to fear,” you’re right, and the statement stands. But those statements that appear to be saying that Yahweh Himself can place obstacles in the path of learning the truth only seem problematic if the reader assumes that Yahweh should keep everyone from destruction, but somehow either fails to, or decides not to, protect some people.

But the fact is that some people will be destroyed in the judgment

We read: “And Yahshua came and spake unto them, saying, ‘All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.’” (Mat 28:18)

And if we trust Yahshua’s judgment, because He was given the power to judge, then we know that some will be lost because they should be lost. Now that, just like the statements we’re examining, sounds very strange. But Yahweh is just; He will save all that He can save, and those who are lost are those who have been dedicated, like Pharaoh, to destruction due to the circumstances Yah provided for them, and specifically their own choices within those situations.

Does everyone understand what I mean by that?

Happy Rock: Yes.

Guerline: Yes.

Abraham: Yes.

Ruthie: Yes.

Naraiel: Yes.

Zahakiel: Judgment is not to be feared. That is the central idea of this study, and I’ve led up to it with quite a lot of information, because I really believe it is a core aspect of our relationship with our Father in Heaven.

As Adventists have been taught, Heaven would be eternal torment for the unsaved. With a character unaccustomed to the light of divine purity, those who cherish the seeds of sin would be denied the opportunity to indulge in it, and would be subjected to a constant reminder by their very presence among the sanctified of the joy they are not able to experience. As we have read from the Empyrean War books, this manifests itself on the spiritual level as actual wounds, as a burning fire that cannot be quenched.

But even before that, on an earthly level the Gospel makes people more accountable for what they will not change if they are already bent on self-destruction. Although one of the verses we are looking at says, “lest they be converted,” the truth is that if they are those who would be converted by the exposure to the truth, the veil would vanish when they heard the doctrine, as it did, in fact, do in many examples recorded in the Gospel. The statement, in other words, becomes something of an ironic one; we are not attempting to “force” anyone to be convinced of the truth of the Gospel against their will, by exposing them to so much light that they simply stop fighting. People “converted” that way do not usually last on the Highway of Holiness.

Yahshua did not force people to accept Him. In fact, we find just the contrary:

“And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear you, when ye depart thence, shake off the dust under your feet for a testimony against them. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.” (Mark 6:11)

“But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come.” (Mat 10:23)

Even for those already within the Church, to whom Yahweh has given the authority to decide matters of Christian behavior, (Mat 7:5, Col 2:16, 17) we are not told to keep pressing them into accepting correction:

“A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject; knowing that he that is such is subverted, and sinneth, being condemned of himself.” (Titus 3:10, 11)

“But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat.” (1Cor 5:11)

Zahakiel: Of course, sometimes the behavior is so grievous that disciplinary action is necessary, which is why Yahshua provided us with the Gospel Order steps in Matthew 18. But, as we’ve seen before, the harshest punishment an ecclesiastical organization is allowed to inflict according to Biblical doctrine is a judgment of disfellowship. There is no compulsion, no civil or criminal penalties, for one who no longer wishes to follow the authority of the religious leaders. Any organization that goes beyond this is Satanic, papal, at its very core, regardless of its outward appearance.

As such, what this month’s topic really boils down to is Yahweh’s respect of the gift He has given to mankind: freedom of choice. Although there are some groups within Christendom that teach free will is an illusion, we find that every Book of the Bible provides readers with a call to make a moral choice, either directly as a doctrinal teaching, by implying a proper reaction to what has occurred, or by simply giving examples of the good outcomes from good choices and bad outcomes from bad ones.

Despite the terrible uses to which the concept and term of “freedom of choice” has been put by the world, it is a Biblical doctrine that we obey, not from compulsion, but from a desire to partake of the divine nature, and to learn from the precepts of infinite wisdom.

When there are those who will not hear, Yahweh does not continue to press them, but will – after giving them ample opportunity to recognize the truth – leave them in ignorance, even authorizing evil spirits to send stronger delusions, that the deception may be made fully manifest to those nearby who have eyes to see. Sometimes, it is even beneficial to the one who is sent the delusion, as we read:

“For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this [sinful] deed, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, to deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Yahshua.” (1Cor 5:3-5)

Of course, Paul is not guaranteeing that this will happen; and the chances are certainly slim, but when one is in rebellion against the principles of righteousness, we can approve it, ignore it, or reprove it. Those are the three choices.

Approving sin is clearly not something that should ever be condoned among a people seeking Heaven. It is obviously detrimental to both that group and the individual. Reproving it is the thing to do…. At least at first. As long as the individual is in covenant along with you to seek the face of Yahweh, reproof is the way of dealing with issues of transgression. As we seek perfection of character, we are of course speaking of transgressions done in ignorance. But after the reproof has been given, as long as it is understood, the transgression is no longer ignorant, but willful if it is repeated as before. At that point, a second reproof may be given to “test” if the individual was truly aware of his or her actions.

But if not, and after that, then that person is in rebellion, and ignoring it is really all that we can do.

Zahakiel: Now, on this level, there are two ways to ignore it. The first is to pretend it’s not happening at all, which is really a kind of acceptance, a kind of approval. The second is to either remove yourself, or the individual, from the area in which the transgression can be witnessed. We essentially leave that person alone, to whatever delusions he/she has chosen.

And we have learned this from Yahweh, who, in these “difficult” verses, is doing essentially that. He has never allowed a deceiving spirit to trick someone who is actually seeking the truth. In the case of Saul, and in the case of Ahab (in 1 Kings 22), they had already chosen to be deceived. In the case of those who reject the Gospel, the Word of Yahweh, they have become “willingly ignorant” of the truth.

In such cases, Yahweh surrenders them to their choice. He withdraws His protection, and in some cases even encourages the situations, as He did with Pharaoh in Moses’ day, in which the delusion may be made fully manifest.

This is what it means when we read that Yahweh hardens hearts, and Yahweh sends lying spirits, and strong delusions. He is still, at that point, trying to save souls; even if not the soul of that individual, certainly the souls of the onlookers who can come to understand the defenselessness of the mind without Heaven’s constant protection. This is the One whom we serve, who seeks always to do the best for the most that will allow themselves to be helped.

And, what does this mean for us as evangelists? How does this knowledge affect our actions? It means we treat others who hear us the same way.

There are some who would gain converts with force, at the point of a word, or with threats, or violence, or litigation. And if not gain converts, they would seek at least to silence the voice of opposition.

Zahakiel: But this is not who we are. As Ellen White wrote in one place, we must labor to convince the deceived ones of their errors; but if that fails, we do not keep pressing them; we withdraw ourselves. In so doing, we express the perfect mind of Christ. Even when opposed, even when rejected, we reflect the mind of Christ. In fact, it is during the times when the delusions and deceptions are strongest that the light is the most noticeable. As Paul writes:

“Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound.” (Rom 5:20)

Let us therefore not grow weary in well doing. Even those verses with which so many eager readers struggle, even these, if properly understood, can be a comfort to us in adversity and trial, because they reveal to us an image of the character of our Savior.

So before we close, are there any who have questions about what we have discussed today, or who think they would have difficulty explaining those “unusual” verses we looked at here?

Guerline: I will read it again and if I have questions, will email them. Thank you and have a good time of rest.

Happy Rock: Can you expand more on the statement do “violence to the word?”

Ruthie: It was interesting.

Zahakiel: I don’t think I used that phrase; but it does appear in the writings. It means, basically, to misuse a verse or passage, and essentially bend its meaning to something for which it was not intended.

Happy Rock: Ok Thank you :)

Zahakiel: Ok, if there’s nothing else I’ll ask brother Luke to close with a prayer.

Abraham: This is an important and useful study it has certainly expanded and strengthened my understanding.

Qinael: Our holy and loving Father,

We thank you for the opportunity to search more into your character, and not only the opportunity, but the standing invitation.

We expect that as we search more of your Word, there will be things at times that puzzle us momentarily - so it is with every relationship, and we are thankful for the knowledge that in this, we know we truly know and are growing in that relationship with you.

We ask that you dismiss us with your blessing from this study, and bring us safely to the next.

In the name of Yahshua we pray, amen.

Zahakiel: Amen.

Naraiel: Amen.

Abraham: Amen.

Ruthie: Amen.

Happy Rock: Amen.

Guerline: Amen.