New Moon Transcript of CSDA Church

New Moon Meeting: December 2005, 3:18 EST
A Word Behind Thee

Zahakiel: Luke, can you open our meeting with a prayer?

Qinael: Our heavenly Father,

We thank you for this appointed time that you have provided for your people to come together. We thank you for this special time appointed for us to search ourselves, to see if there is any way in which we may grow more fully into the stature of your character, any defect we may have the privilege of giving to you for cleansing.

We pray that you open the minds and hearts of those present, and that your Spirit will move upon all with the topic you have for us today. In Yahshua’s name we pray, amen.

Zahakiel: Amen.

Jeanie: Amen.

Dave: Amen.

Pastor “Chick”: Amen.

Brendan: Amen.

Gabriel: Amen.

Ket: Amen.

Barb: Amen.

Guerline: Amen.

Zahakiel: Okay.

One of the things, one of the principles we have studied numerous times in our meetings together, is the idea that for every truth there are two errors. In a sense there are many errors that can be associated with every issue, but in terms of applying something that you are convinced is actually valid, you can either go too far, or not far enough. We saw that quote in one of our previous studies about the third angel leading a people, and that some would rush ahead while others lagged behind. These are opposite, but equal, errors when it comes to Christian unity.

There is a passage that I like to use that points this out, and it is found here: “And though Adonai give you the bread of adversity, and the water of affliction, yet shall not thy teachers be removed into a corner any more, but thine eyes shall see thy teachers; and thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, ‘This is the way, walk ye in it,’ when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.” (Isaiah 30:20, 21)

The passage shows that men are not called to the Highway of Holiness and left to wander on, moving vaguely forward, until they arrive at the City. We are told that even the wayfarers and fools need not err on this road; Yahweh cares for His people far too much to leave them without guides. We can read a few of the very many passages that give us promises about this.

Zahakiel: “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth; for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak; and He will shew you things to come.” (John 16:13)

“For He shall give His angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.” (Psalm 91:11)

“And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding.” (Jer 3:15)

“As the bird by wandering, as the swallow by flying, so the curse causeless shall not come.” (Pro 26:2)

Now, I have listed these in order from what some would consider highest to lowest: the Spirit of Yahweh, the divine angels, the human messengers, and then the natural consequences of our actions. What I would like us all to understand is that this is an entirely arbitrary order. What do I mean by that?

I mean that if the angels are holy, they will be in perfect unity with the purposes of the Spirit. If the pastors are truly in accord with Yahweh’s heart, they will give the same instruction the Spirit would give through any other agency. The same goes for the apostles, teachers, evangelists, and really all the members. Thus the “voice” that is behind the believer, warning him or her about the dangers on the right and left of each principle may come through any of these sources; and when it comes the human being instructed must not despise the source.

Zahakiel: In other words, some will hear a teacher speaking the Word of Yahweh, and they will say, “Yes, but I want Yah to tell me Himself.” Or they will wait for a miracle or a sign (i.e., the ministry of angels) to confirm it when the principle is plain to the objective witness. Others will hear the voice of Yahweh speaking to their consciences, and they will seek out a human agent to back them up before acting on conviction. Others may wait to break a leg before they stop playing on the rocks, despite knowing of the danger. So you see it can work in any way.

But now, there will never be a conflict in any of those sources. The human agents, if truly in tune with the Spirit, will speak for Yahweh. The angels will surely protect us if we are walking the right path and obeying what we know of natural law. The Spirit Itself speaks along with the Bride (the human agents on earth that constitute the Church) to draw men closer to the Most High. “And the Spirit and the Bride say, ‘Come.’ And let him that heareth say, ‘Come.’ And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.” (Rev 22:17)

Zahakiel: The Scripture tells us, “Believe in Yahweh your Almighty, so shall ye be established; believe His prophets, so shall ye prosper.” (2Chron 20:20) Now there was a time, perhaps, when a distinction could be made between being established and prospering. There was a time when we could say, “believing in Yahweh is more important than paying much attention to His human messengers,” but light has increased, and for those who have heard the message of Victory over sin, if they do not prosper, it is a sure sign that they were never even established.

Does everyone understand what I mean by this?

Ket: Yes.

Brendan: Prosper how?

Zahakiel: Prosper in every way Yah would have us prosper.

Brendan: Ok.

Zahakiel: The 144,000 have a calling, the highest calling, and it is not enough to lag behind in any point, saying, “I am established here, but I need no more counsel in this matter.” Yah does not give any gift arbitrarily. He set the laws of Creation in place. The 10 Commandments were given for our blessing, Christ was given for our benefit, and so it is with the Church structure and hierarchy, and every single one of our established (repentant, faithful, baptized) co-workers. To consider any one of these sources of inspiration lightly is to turn one’s back on Yahweh Himself, regardless of what claims to faith one may otherwise make. This is truer in the last days than it ever was before, for in the time of trouble we will either prosper, or fail entirely. There will be no middle ground.

But we must learn to make balanced use of the oracles in order to truly prosper as Yahweh would have us do. Let me explain what I mean by that, and I will start by going back to the first verses we looked at today: “And though Adonai give you the bread of adversity, and the water of affliction, yet shall not thy teachers be removed into a corner any more, but thine eyes shall see thy teachers; and thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, ‘This is the way, walk ye in it,’ when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.” (Isaiah 30:20, 21)

This is the principle, that there will be a voice to guide us coming from any of the possible sources we have just seen named. But notice: this is a “principle” meaning that there are two errors associated with IT as well :)

What do you think those equal but opposite errors are? Any ideas?

Qinael: One would be that everything that comes to us is automatically the voice of Yah.

Brendan: Hierarchy?

Jeanie: Going too far (blindly obeying man) or not far enough (not listening to true prophets).

Dumah: I agree with Jeanie.

Guerline: We agree, Luke, and the other side would be saying that none of it is from Yah.

Zahakiel: Right. Those are all what I had in mind.

The first is to despise the source through which the instruction comes. The second is to cling to the source, worship the oracle itself, trust it despite evidence to the contrary, and neglect other possible sources. Yahweh would have His people able to hear His Word by means of various methods of communication, and He will not speak to His people in one manner only.

We find an example of this in the Book of Job, with Job speaking, “But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; and the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee. Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee, and the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee. Who knoweth not in all these that the hand of Yahweh hath wrought this?” (Job 12:7-9)

Zahakiel: Nature is one means of learning about Yahweh, if we take sin into account. There are some who look at the world and come to the belief that creation is a cruel, competitive and often unfair place, because they do not include the Curse in their worldview. This is what has led to the “survival of the fittest” philosophy and other related standpoints. But for the Christian, nature is an excellent classroom for learning the key concept of cause and effect.

We have a health message, for example, and we can learn a lot about it from the natural world. If we despise what we would learn from cause and effect, we will never have an accurate means of evaluating our own actions, and this constitutes a rejection of Yahweh’s oracles – the first error.

That is, of course, only one example of a form that the first error can take, that error being despising the means. Since the New Moon is an occasion for the cleansing of the Bride, it may be a good idea for us to focus on one specific type involving the Church; at the same time we must bear in mind that this IS only one example of rejecting the means that Yah chooses to speak to humans. If we can understand the idea, though, we will have the teaching in its entirety.

Zahakiel: Let’s look at a passage:

“And He gave some, apostles, and some, prophets, and some, evangelists, and some, pastors and teachers, for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.” (Eph 4:11, 12)

Why did Yah take the time to do this?

In the Old Testament He did exactly the same thing, only the titles and ritual functions were different. There was a High Priest, the Kohathite priests, the Merarite priests and the Gershonite priests, all with specific functions. Then there were Levites who did not belong to the line of Aaron, but were nevertheless teachers and judges in Israel due to their familiarity with the Law of Moses, and their divine appointment as a tribe.

Some had sacred functions, others acted as travelling judges, still others ministered to the priest-class Levites. There was order then as there is order now, but in this Laodicean Christendom, who sees the New Testament’s arrangement as worthy of the same respect given to the Old? Not many.

Zahakiel: But why did Yah take the time to establish such an intricate and elaborate order under both major Covenants? Ephesians tells us, giving three main reasons: For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of ministry, and for edifying the body of Christ.

The first in the list is vastly important. It tells us something that would be startling to many: the saints are not made perfect apart from the order Yahweh established. We have the error of ecumenism spreading like wildfire in the Christian world, because it is more important to many that they be seen as “accepting” and “tolerant,” when Yahweh wants His people to be Holy. To be holy means to be set apart, different from the common, elevated in nature and purpose; it means to have a standard, and to meet it.

Now, true holiness does not leave out acceptance of the rights of others to believe what they choose to, and grace when dealing with opposition, but it does not pretend that objective truth does not exist. It does not promote the idea that Yahweh has not instructed His people with enough care that we may know precisely what to do to accomplish His will – or worse, that it is not important to unite in our doctrinal beliefs as Yahshua said we would. (John 17:21, 1Cor 1:10)

Zahakiel: There are some, even within the tradition of Adventism, who have ceased to believe that a denominational identity is important. Now, be careful to differentiate between having a denominational identity and accepting denominationalism. The second of these implies loyalty directed primarily to the organization itself, and this is perhaps more dangerous than not having an organization at all. But Yahweh says that there is a balance between the extremes; the people of Yah will have a name, thus they will be “denominated,” but this does not mean that our movement is what a “denomination” has come to imply these days.

Does anyone have difficulty understanding the distinction? I don't want to leave anyone behind on this point.

Barb: No.

Jeanie: No; that’s clear.

Zahakiel: Okay.

Order, structure, this is important to the success of Christ’s people. The Scriptures declare it is; Mrs. White declares it is, but individualism (the evil twin of individuality) will say there is no importance to order. Conformity will say that the order is the absolute most important thing about Christianity (so we must ignore corruption). Cowardice waits to be told what to do. Another kind of fear will say that every organized Body must necessarily become corrupted by human error, so we must not ever listen to any “man.”

Zahakiel: Those who believe or say any of these things have never yet seen the Church through the eyes of Christ, or been a part of a movement consisting of members that are truly converted. In fact, the Spirit of Prophecy writings have some wording that borders on uncomfortable for many, when speaking of the authority of a Church that is actively following Yahweh, and actively free from Babylonian doctrines. We read statements such as this, and we must do so with care:

“If the world sees a perfect harmony existing in the church of God, it will be a powerful evidence to them in favor of the Christian religion. Dissensions, unhappy differences, and petty church trials dishonor our Redeemer. All these may be avoided if self is surrendered to God and the followers of Jesus obey the voice of the church. Unbelief suggests that individual independence increases our importance, that it is weak to yield our own ideas of what is right and proper to the verdict of the church; but to yield to such feelings and views is unsafe and will bring us into anarchy and confusion. Christ saw that unity and Christian fellowship were necessary to the cause of God, therefore He enjoined it upon His disciples. And the history of Christianity from that time until now proves conclusively that in union only is there strength. Let individual judgment submit to the authority of the church.” [Testimonies for the Church Volume Four, page 19, paragraph 2]

Let me know when you’re finished reading it, and take your time – this is a vital subject, and I could bold that entire paragraph.

Qinael: Finished.

Jeanie: Done.

Israfel: Ok.

Brendan: Done.

Pastor “Chick”: Completed.

Barb: Ok.

Crystle: Finished.

Dumah: I got it.

Ket: Ok.

Gabriel: Done.

Guerline: Done.

Zahakiel: Okay.

This is a teaching for which the CSDA Church members have much evidence in favour of its validity. Here is another to consider, along the same lines:

“Unbelief suggests that individual independence increases our importance, that it is weak to yield to the verdict of the church our ideas of what is right and proper; but to cherish such views and feelings will bring anarchy into the church and confusion to ourselves. Christ has delegated to his church the right of decision in the words, ‘Whosesoever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whosesoever sins ye retain, they are retained unto them.’ God has made his church a channel of light, and through it he communicates his purpose and his will; and individual judgment should yield to the authority of the church.” [Bible Echo and Signs of the Times, September 1, 1888]

Zahakiel: Say when.

Qinael: Finished.

Jeanie: Done.

Gabriel: Done.

Dumah: There is an interesting twist to this in that many will quote this without remembering that we define who our “brethren” are based on if they keep the commandments of Yah as written in His word.

Zahakiel: Right.

Barb: Done.

Crystle: Finished.

Dave: Done.

Brendan: Done.

Israfel: Ok.

Ket: Done.

Pastor “Chick”: Finished.

Zahakiel: In this one she gets a bit more specific about who becomes confused, and emphasizes some other aspects. Is there disharmony? Are there difficulties in moving forward as a people? Is there confusion among individuals who cannot seem to find a place to “fit?” It is because of unbelief. It is because of disobedience to the voice of Yahweh through His Church, or independence taken to dangerous extremes – a worship of Araphel, really (selfishness), under the guise of true Christianity. That is at the root of all false religion, and all corruption of true religion.

Let no one become so afraid of the papacy and other pagan counterfeits that he or she loses sight of the original and true authority invested in the Church… We must follow the right path on this matter now that it has been restored through the Advent message, regardless of the fact that the counterfeits are close. We were told they would be close.

When one enters the presence of a queen, what is the correct form of address?

Jeanie: Your majesty?

Zahakiel: That’s right :)

Anyone who has read my writings has probably encountered my usage of this word, “majesty,” especially when I speak of the “majesty” of Christ’s Church. It is because I am aware of the dignity of the Bride of the Son of the Creator, and I wish to inspire such awareness in others, for their eternal benefit. While some render veneration to Mary as the “Queen of Heaven,” the true Queen of Heaven will be the Bride of Christ who will reside in New Jerusalem. She does not quite yet bear that title in any widely known way, but she has borne that responsibility, and that high calling, since the day of her birth. Who can behold her and not feel love? No one with a heart of flesh, and the spiritual discernment to realize who they are beholding. Dissenters from this majesty will not be permitted to enter Her House, but will remain in outer darkness. This is the importance of avoiding this first error of which we are speaking.

Are there any questions about this?

Crystle: No.

Brendan: No.

Israfel: No.

Guerline: We will probably spend another week reviewing!

Zahakiel: Good :) It will be worth the time; and we're only halfway done.

Dumah: Yah is making “a place” for His bride.

Crystle: Agreed.

Zahakiel: Now continuing... the Spirit of Yahweh, His true Spirit, will not be in opposition to, or different in essence from, the guidance of the Church. The Scripture in Isaiah does not say there will be “voices” behind us from which we need to choose; it says there will be “a word;” and a word, spoken in one voice, will be the guardian of our faith. Paul gives us a dramatic example of the truth of this idea:

“But though we, or an angel from Heaven, preach any other Gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.” (Gal 1:8) Of course, a true angel of Heaven will not speak anything but what he is permitted to speak of the true Gospel. The problem is that there are “secret agents” with which the Body of the Messiah must deal.

We are told again, and by this same Paul, “But what I do, that I will do, that I may cut off occasion from them which desire occasion; that wherein they glory, they may be found even as we. For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.” (2Cor 11:12-15)

Do we see how those two quotes work together? We must test the spirits of the messengers; we must compare the doctrines of those we encounter to the Bible, to the teachings of the messengers of light, to the character of Yahweh as trained consciences understand it.

Dave: Yeah.

Zahakiel: Any other Gospel than that leads only to damnation, and it is brought by a deceiver, a pretender.

Now, let us speak a little about the second error. There is a difficulty, often, in looking at two sides of the same coin, and it is this – some will attempt to make one dilute the other. In other words, we spoke of the majestic authority with which Christ has invested His Church. We are going to speak now about individual responsibility, but while we do this I do not want to give a hint of an impression that it invalidates or weakens anything said above. You have seen what some Bible students have done with the twin principles of Law and Grace, setting them against each other; but we must avoid doing that here. As strong as Mrs. White’s statements were about surrendering individual judgment, they were written for a reason, because there were some people then, there are some people now, and there will be some people whom we will encounter in the future, who will need precisely this language for the sake of their salvation.

If the wording is hard for them to read or hear, it means that it is striking a cord of conviction, and something in them that is born of selfishness must die. Let them take the above lesson away from this New Moon study. For others, they may go to the other side of the road and seek to lose their individuality in the stream of the Bride’s identity. The rest of the study is for such as these.

Zahakiel: We must not make a pope, or a god, of the Church hierarchy itself. We are to honor the God who has given us the Church, and pastors, and teachers, and give thanks for the necessary gifts, but we must remember that the Church, and its members, are all created, and the warning that Paul gives us about worshiping creatures applies as much to holy creatures as it does to unholy ones.

We must not be as those “Who changed the truth of Elohim into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. And even as they did not like to retain Yahweh in their knowledge, Yahweh gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient.” (Rom 1:25, 28)

It is a more subtle error, but no less dangerous, to make an idol of something that is, by its very nature, holy and just and true. Yet though it is subtle, the 144,000 must have the insight to avoid it; and, AND – the presence of mind to forbid the fear of it from driving us to the first error. You see, I hope, the need for balancing these two concepts. To run from one error introduces the possibility of running too far, and encountering the other.

Zahakiel: We have individual responsibilities, individual consciences to honor, but if an individual finds himself in conflict with the Church as a result of following conscience, there is something wrong with either the Church, or the individual’s conscience. Those are the only options, so make sure you understand that sentence. Let me know if you have any questions about it. If someone is having difficulty learning where individual responsibility ends and Church unity begins, the study on Christian Motivation needs to be prayerfully studied once again.

We have to be careful that we do not use Church authority as a weapon. It is a rod, a shepherd’s crook that at times must find itself around the neck of stray sheep, but it is not a sword with which people are to be injured.

Jeanie: Awmein.

Zahakiel: Remember, “Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous; nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.” (Heb 12:11)

Guerline: Amen!

Zahakiel: Rebuke and reproof are necessary elements of Church authority (although worldly Christians have no patience for such matters, and fear little more than being “judged,” even with righteous judgment, even by those they consider spiritual leaders). At the same time, individual members are accountable for the actions of their leaders – this is the concept of Corporate Accountability that we have examined before.

Zahakiel: In the early days apostles could speak more directly than Church leaders can reasonably get away with nowadays. In Paul’s day it was acceptable to use words like the following:

“And we have confidence in the Lord touching you, that ye both do and will do the things which we command you. […] Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Yahshua the Messiah, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us.” (2Th 3:4, 6)

“Now them that are [disorderly] we command and exhort by our Lord Yahshua the Messiah, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread.” (2Th 3:12)

“These things [from previous verses: sound doctrine, avoiding extremes in diet due to a fear of paganism, sanctification, faith, godliness] command and teach.” (1Tim 4:11)

Zahakiel: You see, the second error we are talking about did not exist in any widespread fashion back then, and so the apostles and elders could “command” without concern for being turned into a guru or messiah themselves by the populace. Now, there were some individuals who made the mistake, such as those who were proud of the individual that facilitated their baptisms, (1Cor 1:11-13) but by and large the greater errors were coming from outside the Church, such as the Gnostic sects with whom John was contending, or outright paganism that was threatening the proper feast keeping being taught to the Colossians.

Now, because we have seen the error of taking it too far, we have to be more careful. We have seen the papacy formed, we have seen cults arise, we have seen what happens when individuals put their faith more in Jim Jones than in Christ – but do not ever mistake this diplomacy, this care, this graceful approach, for a lessening of authority. There is a balance. We must not run into the first error because we are seeking to avoid this second one. I know I have probably said it several times in different ways, but it bears repeating.

Yahshua came in meekness, to serve, not to be served, but woe unto those who forgot He was a King and a Judge! Similarly, the Bride’s role now is to be a servant, to be oppressed, to be persecuted – in essence, to follow in the path of Her Husband – but it must not be forgotten that she is a Queen and (collectively) a co-Judge with Christ. “Know ye not that we shall judge angels? How much more things that pertain to this life? Do not ye judge them that are within [the Church]?” (1Cor 6:3, 5:12b)

Rita: Amen and amen!

Zahakiel: The messengers of Christ are meek, and will “If it be possible […] live peaceably with all men.” (Rom 12:18) This does not, however, detract from the nature of their calling. In the Old Testament the prophet Jeremiah bore argument well, but here again we must not confuse divine forbearance with divine sanction. Let’s look at that account (this is a long post, so I'll pause before resuming):

“In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah came this word unto Jeremiah from Yahweh, saying, ‘I have made the earth, the man and the beast that are upon the ground, by my great power and by my outstretched arm, and have given it unto whom it seemed meet unto me. And now have I given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant; and the beasts of the field have I given him also to serve him. And all nations shall serve him, and his son, and his son’s son, until the very time of his land come: and then many nations and great kings shall serve themselves of him.’” (Jer 27:1, 5-7)

Say when you are finished with that, other passages follow.

Qinael: Finished.

Jeanie: OK.

Pastor “Chick”: Finished.

Barb: Done.

Gabriel: Done.

Brendan: Done.

Dumah: Yep.

Dave: Done.

Crystle: Done.

Ket: Yes.

Guerline: Done.

Zahakiel: Now, to the consternation of the priests, Jeremiah brought a message to them also: “I spake also to Zedekiah king of Judah according to all these words, saying, ‘Bring your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him and his people, and live. Why will ye die, thou and thy people, by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence, as Yahweh hath spoken against the nation that will not serve the king of Babylon?

“‘Therefore hearken not unto the words of the prophets that speak unto you, saying, Ye shall not serve the king of Babylon: for they prophesy a lie unto you. For I have not sent them, saith Yahweh, yet they prophesy a lie in my name; that I might drive you out, and that ye might perish, ye, and the prophets that prophesy unto you.’ Also I spake to the priests and to all this people, saying, ‘Thus saith Yahweh: Hearken not to the words of your prophets that prophesy unto you, saying, Behold, the vessels of Yahweh’s house shall now shortly be brought again from Babylon: for they prophesy a lie unto you. Hearken not unto them; serve the king of Babylon, and live: wherefore should this city be laid waste?’” (Jer 27:12-17)

Does anyone fail to see the parallel to the CSDA message in this record so far? We bring a message to what was the House of Yahweh, and it is an unpopular message. We say, “Your leaders have rejected Christ, and gone to the world. Babylon has invaded Jerusalem, taken away the vessels and the holy things. Leave the city, and you will live. Yahweh has a place prepared for you; why will you remain in the path of destruction and die?”

Dave: I see it.

Crystle: See it…

Dumah: Were the dwellers of the city being called to “leave” or to serve the king? I thought he wanted them to serve [Nebuchadnezzar] by tributes and stay.

Zahakiel: They were called to leave and be in captivity; it’s really much the same as today. There is a near perfect parallel. Jeremiah was telling them the city would be destroyed. Jerusalem had passed the bounds of its probation, and there would be an exile.

Dumah: Ok.

Brendan: One thing I have had trouble with is the “serve the king of Babylon” part

Zahakiel: Well, that is why it is “near” perfect :)

Now, let us see what Jeremiah’s opponents said to him in those days, and discover that the similarities do not end with the passages above:

“And it came to pass the same year, in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the fourth year, and in the fifth month, that Hananiah the son of Azur the prophet, which was of Gibeon, spake unto me in the house of Yahweh, in the presence of the priests and of all the people, saying, ‘Thus speaketh Yahweh of hosts, Elohim of Israel, saying, I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon. Within two full years will I bring again into this place all the vessels of Yahweh’s house, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took away from this place, and carried them to Babylon. And I will bring again to this place Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, with all the captives of Judah, that went into Babylon, saith Yahweh; for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.’” (Jer 28:1-4)

Say when.

Qinael: Finished.

Ket: When.

Pastor “Chick”: OK.

Jeanie: OK.

Barb: Done.

Brendan: Done.

Gabriel: Done.

Guerline: Done

Israfel: Ok.

Dave: Done.

Pastor “Chick”: It is possible that this portion has passed a bit faster than minds...

Zahakiel: I am emphasizing the vital portion of it now. <nods.>

So here we have one of those “peace and safety” people, who said, “Stay in Jerusalem! Moses said we would be established in this land forever, so how can this ‘prophet’ come and tell us that Babylon will have power over the chosen people of Yahweh?” In our day the above objection goes something along the lines of, “Stay within the ship! Ellen White said that the SDA Church will go through to the end. How can these people tell us that ‘the Church has become Babylon’ when we have inspired commentary that says it never will?’” Of course, no inspired commentary has ever said that; an initially good and holy organization can become corrupt, and much testimony exists as a warning against that eventuality, which in the case of the GC SDA was summarily ignored.

Zahakiel: If this idea has indeed escaped some, take some time to recap, and let me know when you are ready to move on. We do not have that much more to go, so we can take a pause and reflect.

Brendan: I understand.

Guerline: We perfectly agree with this.

Pastor “Chick”: What was the “imperfect” part of the prophecy?

Zahakiel: We are not serving Babylon, so the parallel’s wording would not specifically apply.

Babylon in the last days has become a symbol of the anti-Christian forces, but in Jeremiah’s day it was the corrective sword of Yahweh in a cleaner sense.

Pastor “Chick”: I see something that I have inadequate words to describe.

Zahakiel: <nods.> If the thought develops let me know :)

Crystle: So you are saying that we are seeing prophecy fulfilled and in so doing history relived.

Zahakiel: Correct.

Brendan: Yes, I understand that now... the true “King” of Babylon wasn’t at this time Satan, but Yah.

Zahakiel: Right, the prophets said that Yah raised Babylon to be a sword against His people.

Pastor “Chick”: Today, we “serve Babylon” the “bread of life” and the “wine of truth”...

Zahakiel: Serve in the sense of ministering to it. <nods.>

Pastor “Chick”: ALSO...

In keeping the down-trodden “name,” we are “as captive” to Babylon (interceding).

Zahakiel: Right.

Now, we find that there is really nothing new under the sun. Jeremiah was speaking for Yahweh, and those who had carnal minds opposed the message he was bringing. The same thing happens today, but Jeremiah did not really demand that people do what he said. He had done his job and given the message he was to give – his job was not to control the consciences of his hearers. He had no desire to become the “leader” of the people of Yah. We read this:

“Even the prophet Jeremiah said, ‘Amen; may Yahweh do so. May Yahweh perform thy words which thou hast prophesied, to bring again the vessels of Yahweh’s house, and all that is carried away captive, from Babylon into this place. Nevertheless hear thou now this word that I speak in thine ears, and in the ears of all the people: The prophets that have been before me and before thee of old prophesied both against many countries, and against great kingdoms, of war, and of evil, and of pestilence. The prophet which prophesieth of peace, when the word of the prophet shall come to pass, then shall the prophet be known, that Yahweh hath truly sent him.’” (verses 6-9)

Say when you have read it.

Qinael: Finished.

Jeanie: OK.

Crystle: Done.

Brendan: Done.

Ket: Read it.

Pastor “Chick”: Okay.

Gabriel: Done.

Guerline: Done.

Dave: Done.

Barb: Done.

Zahakiel: That is how he dealt with it, essentially saying, “We shall see;” and when Hananiah continued to proclaim that Jeremiah was misleading the residents of Jerusalem, he added, “Hear now, Hananiah; Yahweh hath not sent thee; but thou makest this people to trust in a lie. Therefore thus saith Yahweh, ‘Behold, I will cast thee from off the face of the earth; this year thou shalt die, because thou hast taught rebellion against Yahweh.’” (verses 15, 16) The next verse tells us that this is exactly what came to pass.

The church elders, deacons, teachers, and so on are guides, and are certainly to be taken seriously. Yet they must not seek to control the will of their hearers, and each individual member has the responsibility to train his or her own conscience according to the principles of our faith, and to recognize the voice of Yah in His oracles, whether they be human or not. There must be a balance.

Jeremiah said to his opponents, the false prophets, “The things you are saying are certainly pleasant. If it is possible, let it be so.” At the same time, he knew that he had been sent by Yah, and he rebuked the false teachers and repeated his warning. We must do the same. We must point out those whom we believe to be teaching error, but at the same time we cannot make a “war” against them that will alienate the very people we are seeking to save.

Crystle: Amen and amen!

Zahakiel: If we come out with a warlike spirit against the General Conference, against the independent ministries, against the self-sent messengers whose purpose (inspired by Satan himself) is to distract people so badly that they are not even able to recognize the pure faith when they encounter it, we will lose souls.

We can be firm without being violent.

We must always act from Agape, even while we tell people, “Do not hearken to the voices crying ‘peace and safety.’ Abandon your efforts to seek divine wisdom from the self-sent messengers, it will ruin your ability to submit yourself to the voice of the true Bride. These men and women have the appearances of angels of light, but they teach another message, another Gospel, and they will be swallowed up by their sin.”

Guerline: AGREE.

Zahakiel: If we do learn something useful from self-sent messengers and independent ministries, it’s accidental; it is certainly possible, but not at all advisable, and there are teachers in Israel for the purpose of seeking wisdom. If this warning goes ignored the hearers will be lost, but the messengers will have done their jobs in love, and for love’s sake they have made the attempt.

Conversely, the Church officials are not to be worshipped. It is a great error for the members to be constantly, actively seeking instructions from the leaders of the movement. I do not mean advice on difficult matters, that is proper; but if this is taken to extremes, it easily becomes unhealthy.

They, the leaders, have a responsibility to never encourage this situation to develop. The members have the responsibility of weeding their own spiritual gardens, and not seeking to have someone else always telling them what to do. It is true that the young in the faith will need constant, more careful, instruction, but they must quickly learn to stand on their own, set down their roots, and move forward in unity with the Body.

Gabriel: Wisdom being shared.

Zahakiel: You can always tell those who have learned from the Church and set their roots securely in Christ because, even though they stand on their own, they are in perfect harmony with those who instructed them. This is true of literal infants as well as spiritual: “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” (Proverbs 22:6) The only way this can go wrong is if the child (literal or spiritual) refuses to be trained.

Rita: Sovereignty!

Zahakiel: Any questions so far?

Crystle: No.

Brendan: No.

Guerline: Praise Yah!

Zahakiel: Now, to conclude, here is a picture of the balance that takes into account what we have examined in this study.

If the Church is truly composed of converted individuals, then a denominational identity is a great and necessary blessing. There will be no danger of giving into denominationalism, or re-creating the papacy, for the leaders will shrink in horror from being set upon a pedestal; they will avoid the urgings of the flesh to receive adoration, and will often say to the members, “Study the Word and learn for yourself what it is that Yahweh would have you do.” At the same time, when those in responsible positions ARE moved to give a testimony, the members and students trust in them enough to know that their words are given in love, without any thought of seeking to control the mind of the flock.

The members will accept the testimony as the voice of Yah, and can do so safely, because their consciences are trained to the degree that, if a messenger of Satan has come in under the guise of an apostle or saint, the Spirit (or one of the other oracles we looked at above) will speak to that individual directly, and certainly the Church corporately, and clearly testify, “This cometh of the evil one, this individual needs to either repent of his error, or be removed from office.”

If such a situation arises, then we have the Gospel order (Matthew 18:15-20) to deal with it, and therefore absolutely no ground in which a seed of bitterness or alienation may grow. All things are done decently and in order. This is the Bride of Yahshua, and what I have described above has been my experience with the Creation Seventh Day Adventist Church. If that is the kind of Church experience you are looking for, the kind of picture that appeals to you, it is yours for the accepting.

Zahakiel: I tell you truly, the only time I have ever seen things go “badly” is when individuals have refused to understand the principles being presented in this New Moon study ... so if it will take a few reviews to internalize it all, please invest the time.

Guerline: Amen.

Ket: Hear, hear. Well said that, man.

Zahakiel: The only time I have seen breakdowns in communication or conflict arise is when someone has sought to exert his or her will over the message being clearly spoken by one or more of the oracles of Yahweh: the conviction of the Spirit, the testimony of angels, the cause-and-effect principle seen in nature, or the word of the human messengers in the Body. How else could conflict possibly exist?

Whenever these oracles have been understood and obeyed, whenever the word behind us has been heeded, there has been peace, and harmony, and a unity that will stand against the world, against false religion, against spiritual wickedness on both the earth and in high places, and will accomplish the task for which Yahweh has implemented order in His bride: the edifying of the Body of Christ, the work of the ministry and, of course, the perfecting of the saints. (Eph 4:11, 12)

Are there any questions before we close?

Rita: No, only this has been wonderful.

Zahakiel: All right, then... let’s pray.

Almighty and loving Father in Heaven,

We thank you for the great blessing of this combined Sabbath and New Moon. We thank you for the occasional reminder that even the process of examination, which can be difficult to the flesh, can be accomplished only if it is done with an attitude of rest. We thank you for the sure word of testimony that comes to us through your oracles, and the gifts of the Spirit that allow us to recognize your voice in the natural and supernatural experiences that we, as your people, share.

We ask for your continued blessing, and that the voice behind us lead us step by step, ever onward and upward, for we have a high calling, and a standard of your glory to meet... and we thank you for the gift of faith by which we claim that standard, and testify of your beauty to the world.

Be with your people, preserving them during the difficult times ahead, and prepare us in this calm season that we may stand up for your name when the storm breaks at last.

Dismiss us now from this meeting, but never from your presence. In Yahshua’s holy and precious name I pray.

Amen.

Brendan: Amen.

Barb: Amen.

Pastor “Chick”: Hallelu-YAH!

Jeanie: Amen.

Guerline: Amen.

Ket: Amen.

Crystle: Amen.

Rita: Amen.

Dave: Amen.

Dumah: Amen and amen.

Qinael: Amen.

Israfel: Amen.