New Moon Meeting: February 2006, 3:20 EST
What Doest Thou Here, Elijah?
Zahakiel: Luke, can you please give an opening prayer?
Qinael: Our Heavenly Father,
We thank you for this blessed and sacred time you have set aside for your servants to assemble.
We thank you for the day of the New Moon, for the blessings contained therein, and the closeness that is gained as we draw near to one another and to you.
We ask, and claim, your Spirit with us here this day, as we assemble to learn what you would speak to us Father, and we ask for all to receive understanding and a firm knowledge of that matter. In Yahshua’s name we pray, amen.
Zahakiel: Amen.
Barb: Amen.
Jen: Amen.
Igor: Amen.
Dave: Amen.
Crystle: Amen.
Guerline: Amen.
Geraldine: Amen.
Nader: Amen.
Dumah: Amen.
Zahakiel: As those of you who have been present for the past couple meetings know, I have seen the need in these studies to accomplish two things. The first is to edify the members of the Church, to encourage them in soul-searching, in the work of the Gospel, and in the vital task of winning souls to Christ.
Jen: Amen.
Zahakiel: The second is on behalf of those who are connected with us, actively studying with us, but have not yet had the opportunity or fervent drive to be baptized.
There need only be one message, however, for as I speak to those who are preparing for their marriage to Christ, the churched among us see the things that they also ought to be saying. And if they are not saying these things, then they have the opportunity to ask, “Why not?”
This study is going to look at that a little bit, and at the same time it is for the benefit of those who intend to labor alongside us, for it shows what Yahweh expects of His people. It shows the responsibility of all of us, even (and perhaps especially) the laity, without in the least diminishing the essential role of the ministers.
Zahakiel: First I would like to present a couple thoughts that I came across when reading through some of Mrs. White’s materials last month. I am sure that the way she worded some of these concepts will come as a surprise to some of you. Here is one, and it is a long quote, but I will paste it all and then give you a chance to read it without interruption:
“God has not given His ministers the work of setting the churches right. No sooner is this work done, apparently, than it has to be done over again. Church members that are thus looked after and labored for become religious weaklings. If nine tenths of the effort that has been put forth for those who know the truth had been put forth for those who have never heard the truth, how much greater would have been the advancement made! God has withheld His blessings because His people have not worked in harmony with His directions.
“It weakens those who know the truth for our ministers to expend on them the time and talent that should be given to the unconverted. In many of our churches in the cities the minister preaches Sabbath after Sabbath, and Sabbath after Sabbath the church members come to the house of God with no words to tell of blessings received because of blessings imparted. They have not worked during the week to carry out the instruction given them on the Sabbath. So long as church members make no effort to give to others the help given them, great spiritual feebleness must result.
The greatest help that can be given our people is to teach them to work for God, and to depend on Him, not on the ministers. Let them learn to work as Christ worked. Let them join His army of workers and do faithful service for Him.
[…]
“Our ministers are not to spend their time laboring for those who have already accepted the truth. With Christ’s love burning in their hearts, they are to go forth to win sinners to the Saviour. Beside all waters they are to sow the seeds of truth. Place after place is to be visited; church after church is to be raised up. Those who take their stand for the truth are to be organized into churches, and then the minister is to pass on to other equally important fields.
“Just as soon as a church is organized, let the minister set the members at work. They will need to be taught how to labor successfully. Let the minister devote more of his time to educating than to preaching. Let him teach the people how to give to others the knowledge they have received. While the new converts should be taught to ask counsel from those more experienced in the work, they should also be taught not to put the minister in the place of God.” [Testimonies for the Church Volume Seven, pp. 18 – 20]
Zahakiel: Okay, take your time, and then let me know when you have absorbed all that.
Qinael: Okay, finished.
Crystle: Finished.
Jen: Ok.
Igor: Finished.
Dumah: Yes...very interesting.
Pastor “Chick”: OK.
Nader: Amen.
Barb: Finished.
Guerline: Done.
Dave: Ok.
Zahakiel: What a different picture this represents than what we see in Christendom today.
Dumah: In Christendom we see self centered congregations... seeking a continual bottle feeding of milk
Zahakiel: Right. And we find congregations growing attached to their particular ministers in a manner far more than should be the case, to the degree that if a new minister arrives after one known to them has departed, he is treated with a less than welcoming spirit. It is a subtle leaning on the arm of flesh, and had the counsel given in Testimonies 7 been followed in Adventism as a whole, it would be far healthier than it currently is.
The CSDA Church has avoided this pitfall, and this can be seen in both the current operation of the Tennessee congregation and the way we have done things in the past.
For those of you who are familiar with the history of this movement, you may recall that we had a split some years ago, with one of our then-ministers attempting to seize power for himself by spreading misinformation about other ministers. He was successful only in bringing ruin to himself and those who followed him in the dissimulation, but the relevant matter as it relates to this month’s topic is how pastor “Chick” handled one particular incident.
If I remember right (and those who are also familiar with it please correct me if I make an error in my recollection), when the rumors were at their peak in the Kansas congregation, a letter was sent to pastor asking him to “help” them regarding what was being said about his character.
I believe he had already given them some counsel, and pointed out the spirit of the one spreading the rumors, but many were inclined to listen to the gossip anyway, and so he felt led to avoid the group until the Spirit should settle the matter. Is this correct so far?
Pastor “Chick”: I think that is the case.
Zahakiel: <nods.> All right. Well, the bottom line is that the congregation down there broke apart, and some ended up following the dissenter. Now, to a worldly mind, and in a worldly church, the expected response would be that the minister should go and “save” the congregation from confusion. That would actually have been the worst thing that could have been done.
There are two things that could have happened: either the controversy would have gotten better, or it would have gotten worse (situations like that tend not to remain stable for very long). If it had gotten better, it would only have strengthened the group’s dependence on man (already a problem, as is apparent from the event). If it had gotten worse who is the natural one to blame? The minister.
Is everyone seeing how the principle applies there from 7 Testimonies?
Qinael: <nods.>
Dumah: Yes.
If it had been “fixed” then they also would have glorified the minister. He would have been sustaining a dead horse
Crystle: Yes, they were relying on the arm of man to straighten things out instead of Yah.
Guerline: Yes, because the Church was compelled to lean on Yah and not follow one man.
Dumah: But I have a feeling that Yah directed him to step back so that in the future perhaps some people will see the rebuke and turn again to Yah.
Igor: Each member has to take responsibility.
Zahakiel: Right. The principle, for the record, is this one: “Those who would be overcomers must be drawn out of themselves; and the only thing which will accomplish this great work is to become intensely interested in the salvation of others.” [Fundamentals of Christian Education, p. 207]
Jen: Amen.
Zahakiel: Now, this is a Bible study, after all... so we are going to find this same idea expressed in the Scriptures, and then with that background get into our main topic.
Here is a parable. The story goes that the lord of a house went away on a journey and left his servants in charge of some funds. To one he gave five talents, another 2 and a third, one talent. The first two used them, and developed them, but the third buried his to keep it safe for when the master would return.
“After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them. And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, ‘Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more.’
“His lord said unto him, ‘Well done, thou good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things. Enter thou into the joy of thy lord.’
“He also that had received two talents came and said, ‘Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them.’
“His lord said unto him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. Thou hast been faithful over a few things; I will make thee ruler over many things. Enter thou into the joy of thy lord.’
“Then he which had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed – and I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine.’
“His lord answered and said unto him, ‘Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed; thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury. Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents.’” (Matthew 25:19-28)
Zahakiel: Say when you’ve read all this.
Pastor “Chick”: OK.
Barb: Finished.
Qinael: Okay, finished.
Guerline: Done.
Crystle: Finished.
Dumah: If the Lord of the house had never left then the first two servants never would have learned to invest their talents (or had the opportunity) and the third servant would have never been exposed for what he was...yes.
Jen: Yes.
Igor: Finished.
Nader: Yes.
Dave: Done.
Zahakiel: The way of the faithful servants is what is expected of every member of the CSDA Church. There are quite a number of things we may learn from this parable. First, looking at the pattern of the first two servants, how much was expected of the third?
Qinael: Double.
Guerline: The same.
Nader: Double his amount.
Dumah: Yeah.
Zahakiel: Right... if he was given one, the pattern would indicate that he should return two. So then we see that the amount expected from the third servant was precisely the same, proportionally, as that which was expected from the first – a 100% increase. This means, everything was to be used, and improved. Those who have few talents are just as responsible for what they have been given as those who have many, and this is something to keep in mind.
Igor: Yes. Father promises us that we will be able to give a 100% return with the faith of Yahshua.
Zahakiel: Another point: Why was it that the third servant did not use his talent the way the first two did?
Jen: He was afraid.
Dumah: He had a misconception of the master, and fear gripped him (we are also told he was wicked and lazy).
Igor: Misunderstanding on the character of Yah.
Guerline: He only had one and felt unimportant.
Zahakiel: Right, those are just it... he had a misconception of the character of his master. That led to fear and its associated character defects.
Jen: Amen.
Zahakiel: He was afraid of judgment, and therefore he was paralyzed to do what was necessary to avoid being found wanting. We find that this happens every day when people are exposed to the Gospel, to the Victory over sin. It is something that I had to struggle with, in my flesh, before surrendering all and being converted. If Christ really does set us free from the bondage of sin, that means we have true responsibility for our actions, and since we are still IN the flesh when dealing with this revelation, we do not know how we will ever accomplish it.
In a sense it is a snare set upon us by our flesh, and this is why it takes a leap of faith to truly believe the message. We realize what is expected of us, but until we make the decision we are unfamiliar with the power that allows us to accomplish it. So conversion, therefore, becomes believing BEFORE we receive the power to be faithful that we will receive it when we accept Christ. It must be so, because if we could see the means beforehand, we would be walking by sight, and this is something Yahweh is trying to train us to transcend: “For we walk by faith, not by sight.” (2Cor 5:7)
It must be done in this way: we hear the truth, we receive the knowledge that it is Biblical and true, and then we do not delay: we immediately say, “Lord, I will. Lord, I go!” and then we don’t look back. We do not wait to have the method revealed to us, because human language would fail to convey it anyway; it is a miracle we will have never experienced before.
Guerline: Amen.
Zahakiel: Likewise, we do not let the tempter inspire us to doubt the validity or commitment of our decision. We simply trust that if the message is true, it is true for us personally, that Christ is a Savior for us personally, that His Spirit fills us personally, and as in all prayer, we thank Yahweh for giving us the gift, even before we see (with our earth-bound eyes) its fulfillment.
Igor: Faith first, experience follows.
Zahakiel: Right. This is what Elijah did… and we will be talking about him shortly.
The things I have described above are expected of every member of the CSDA Church. Every one of us is a minister, an evangelist, and an ambassador for Christ. I do not say, “should be,” for we ARE. How faithfully we accomplish it depends on how genuine the conversion process was that I described just now. But in these last days, with the light so bright, it is expected that we will, of course, all endure to the end.
Admission to the Church is a sign that you are considered able to not only understand, but also teach the Gospel. Those who will pass from this world without seeing death embark upon the work of saving souls. They do not need to be micro-managed in their tasks, but will often see a need very quickly after conversion, and begin to fill it – that is the nature of the 144,000. “These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever He goeth.” (Rev 14:4b)
And, I do not mean to say that they all become evangelists, or pastors, or speakers in the conventional sense. They may work in their homes, in their schools, in their immediate sphere. The common thread is this: they will work.
Does everyone understand what has come so far? This is the foundation of what we are about to discuss.
Qinael: <nods.>
Dave: Yes.
Crystle: Yes.
Barb: Yes.
Jen: Yes.
Igor: Yes.
Guerline: Yes.
Igor: I agree.
Zahakiel: So here we go, then…
A couple phrases you may have come across in our materials online are “the Eli-Yah message,” and “the Eli-Yah people.” These are important concepts. Today, I would like to examine EliYah; who he was, what he did, what his message was, and then what happened to him. Then, I want to apply it to what we have been talking about, the responsibility of being a Church Member… not a Church minister, but a member.
First of all, who he was. We are not told very much about Elijah’s life. We do not know his age, his tribe with certainty, if he was married, or widowed; we do not know if he was connected with any contemporary prophets or if he simply began his mission alone. All we know about him initially is where he lived, and his name.
But… because we know Biblical principles, we are able to tell some more about him because we know his name. Now remember, this does not always work for men and women who are resisting the plan of the Almighty, but for those who work within His will, the name is a sign of their character (or Yahweh would change it for them, and they would accept the change).
Zahakiel: Elijah, pronounced correctly, is Eli-Yah. El is the word for God, and when you stick an “i” at the end of something, it indicates possession. For example, “ben” means “son.” “Beni,” if singular, means “my son.” So then, “Eli” means, “My God.” This works in Aramaic as well… you remember the words of Christ on the cross?
“Eloi, Eloi…” The spelling and pronunciation are a little different, but the rules are the same. This are translated as, “My God, My God…” But now, the Hebrews around Him thought He was calling for Elijah, because that is indeed the first part of Elijah’s name: My God.
The second part, we should all know :) Yah is the personal name for the Creator. The only other thing you need to know grammatically is that there is no word for “is” in Hebrew in a construct like this. It is understood, supplied. Like if I say, “Go to bed,” the word “you” is understood to precede the command. So then, EliYah’s name means, “My God is Yah.”
This tells us, because the record shows him to have been a faithful servant, that Elijah was jealous for the name (and thus, reputation) of Yahweh. He comes in the name of Yah, for the name of Yah, and by the word of Yah, to accomplish a very specific task.
Zahakiel: “Behold, I will send you Elijah 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)
Elijah seeks to restore the communication and affection between fathers and children. That is certainly true in the physical sense, because Yahweh instituted the family, and any genuine worker for the Gospel will naturally work to promote and strengthen this basic unit of human society.
Dumah: I think he must have had a very devout mother and/or father, because in those times I don’t think the name “Yahweh” was very popular.
Zahakiel: That is a good point about his name, yes.
And this turning of the hearts is also true in a spiritual sense, as can be seen from what Elijah actually did.
Most of us are already familiar with the confrontation between Elijah and the priests of Ba’al. To briefly summarize, Elijah appeared to King Ahab and rebuked him for his idolatry and faithlessness. His wife, Queen Jezebel, had taken it upon herself to slay most of the prophets in Israel, except that the king’s servant Obadiah had hidden some in a cave, and Elijah was providentially kept from capture. But when Elijah appeared to Ahab, he challenged the king to present his Ba’al priests for a showdown on mount Carmel.
Each took a bullock and prepared it for sacrifice, but the challenge was this: the true God would take the sacrifice to Himself, the servants would not light the fire. The Ba’alists went first, and nothing happened for hours and hours, despite their praying, chanting and bloodletting.
Then Elijah’s turn came… but before he prayed for the fire from Heaven, he did something significant. “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.” (1Kings 18:30-32)
Zahakiel: Now most people, when they read the account in 1Kings, are impressed by the fireworks. Some are delighted that the false priests were cut off from the land. Few really take the time to reflect on what Elijah actually did there. He did win a great victory over the idolaters, yes… but he also turned the hearts of the children back to the faith of their fathers, and thus to their Father in Heaven. Elijah gathered the tribes, he repaired the altar, he established stones of witness, and he reaffirmed the name that Yahweh had given to His people: Israel shall be thy name.
All of these are done today by the people who come in the name of Yahweh as Elijah did. They are spiritually discerned, but they are precisely fulfilled.
The Church of Christ gathers the Tribes; it has nothing to do with who is a Jew and who is a Gentile. All who are Christ’s are “Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” (Gal 3:29) The people who come as Elijah did gather the Tribes in the Sealing process mentioned in Revelation 7, Ezekiel 9, and the last part of Matthew 13:30.
The Church of Christ repairs the altar. The altar, as we saw a study ago, is a place of worship. The Elijah people restore the worship of the true Creator. How is this? “Thus saith Yahweh, ‘Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls.’” (Jer 6:16) “And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places; thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, ‘The repairer of the breach, the restorer of paths to dwell in.’” (Isa 58:12)
The foundations of our faith: the nature and character of our Creator, the gift He has given us to overcome sin, the appointed times, spiritual gifts, all those things that we went over in the first chapter of A Sure Covenant… these are restored by those who repair the Altar of Yahweh.
Zahakiel: Elijah established the stones of witness. He did not just get stones to rebuild the altar, he took stones and associated each one with one of the Tribes. Now let us look at some verses to see what this means to us.
“And Joshua said unto all the people, ‘Behold, this stone shall be a witness unto us; for it hath heard all the words of Yahweh which He spake unto us: it shall be therefore a witness unto you, lest ye deny your God.’” (Josh 24:27)
“He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches: ‘To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.’” (Rev 2:17)
“And they shall see His face; and His name shall be in their foreheads.” (Rev 22:4)
“And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God […] saying, ‘Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.’” (Rev 7:3)
“‘And because of all this we make a sure covenant, and write it; and our princes, Levites, and priests, seal unto it.’ Now those that sealed were, Nehemiah … Seraiah… Pashur…” (Neh 9:38, 10:1-29)
A lot of verses, but what am I talking about here? Any ideas?
Guerline: What is associated with the Eliyah message.
Dave: The last one.
Zahakiel: I mean a specific concept :)
Crystle: That the stones of witness are pure and sealed.
Jen: Building with Jeshua.
Zahakiel: Crystle is on it…
How about this: Church Membership.
Guerline: Oh.
Crystle: The Church members are pure and sealed.
Zahakiel: If you find a people who claim to be coming in the name of Elijah, but do not have any knowledge or interest in the Stones of Witness, you are in the presence of a false prophet.
Dumah: So the stones are the tribes and the tribes are made up of members.
Zahakiel: Right.
Guerline: I see :)
Zahakiel: The real Elijah sets forth stones of witness, and in the spirit it is not that Yahweh takes people without their agreement, they must also set their “seal” on that which is to be a witness unto us.
Guerline: Beautiful.
Zahakiel: Some say, “Oh, a record of names is not important to Yahweh, and should not be to His people.” If that is true, then our Creator wasted a whole lot of time and space in the Bible giving us long lists of hard-to-pronounce names for no good reason. But no, Elijah understands the character of His Master, and does all things according to that character. It is true that earthly genealogies have no bearing on our work today, (Titus 3:9) but we are talking about the spiritual fulfillment of an earthly principle. (2Ch 31:19, 1Ch 9:1, etc.)
Guerline: Amen.
Zahakiel: Does everyone understand the distinction there? I realize that this application is a new one, even to those who have been studying with us for some time :) But the idea is, if it is a part of the mission of the EliYah people, we will find a type in the work of the earthly EliYah.
Guerline: That means what: a “type”?
Zahakiel: A type, a shadow of something that will be fulfilled in a larger sense later on.
Guerline: Ok.
Zahakiel: Type: Passover lamb; Antitype: Christ’s sacrifice.
That kind of idea :)
So now we have a name, and mission... but where do I get this idea of an EliYah people?
Some may say, “But has not Elijah already come?” Christ said of John the Baptist, “For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John [the Baptist]. And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come.” (Mat 11:13, 14)
It is true that John fulfilled the role of Elijah for the first Advent, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.’ John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.” (Mark 1:3, 4)
What we must understand is that the Jewish thought of the day had no concept of the Messiah coming twice. There was no “first and second Advent” to deal with, only that the Messiah would come, and set them free. When, therefore Christ came and fulfilled this release in a spiritual sense (and not yet a physical one) they rejected Him. But just as Elijah’s spirit preceded Christ’s first Advent, so it must precede the second so that the pattern will be complete.
Zahakiel: Can we be certain that I am applying this correctly? Yes, and we find the key to understanding the dual fulfillment in the very prophecy about Elijah to come: “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of Yahweh…” (Mal 4:5)
What is the “great day of Yahweh?” Both Testaments make it very clear:
“The great day of Yahweh is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of Yahweh; the mighty man shall cry there bitterly. That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, a day of the trumpet and alarm against the fenced cities, and against the high towers.
“And I will bring distress upon men, that they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against Yahweh; and their blood shall be poured out as dust, and their flesh as the dung. Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of Yahweh’s wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land.” (Zephaniah 1:14-18)
Dumah: The second coming.
Zahakiel: “And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.” (Jude 1:6)
And is this also the “dreadful” day? That word is yare in Hebrew, and it is translated as dreadful, terrible, fearful, etc.
Now look at this, “The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible [yare] day of Yahweh come.” (Joel 2:31, cf. Acts 2:20)
I would say that we have as strong a doctrine as can be found in the Bible that the “great and terrible day” of Yahweh is not the occasion of Christ’s first Advent, but the Day of Judgment.
The first Advent of Christ is called the “Day of Salvation.” (Isa 49:8, Luke 19:9, 2Cor 6:2)
But Elijah must come before a “terrible day” that takes place after the darkness of the sun and the redness of the moon. This occurs during the sixth seal, (Rev 6:12) and therefore long after John the Baptist.
Finally, one cannot say, “John the Baptist did come before the Day of Judgment… long before, but before.” The prophecy in Malachi 4 ties the appearance of Elijah to the events of the great and terrible day. The people’s hearts were to be turned back to the Almighty just before the judgment, and we can see this clearly in the calls to repent in Revelation just before judgment is set:
“And I heard another voice from Heaven, saying, ‘Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.’” (Rev 18:4) This is a Father pleading for the hearts of His children; it is the Elijah message, and it is borne by the fourth Gospel Angel right there in the last days. If ever there was a time when the paths needed straightening, this is it.
Does everyone see this?
Dumah: Yes.
Igor: Yes.
Jen: Yes.
Dave: Yes.
Crystle: Yes.
Barb: Yes.
Guerline: Yes.
Nader: Yes.
Zahakiel: So we see these characteristics of the members of the Church bearing Elijah’s message just before the “great and terrible day of Yahweh:”
1) They set forth the right name, character, and principles of Yahweh the creator, for He is their God.
2) They work to gather the Tribes, to Seal them for Heavenly service.
3) They restore worship of the true Creator, in terms of setting His character before the world regarding salvation, the punishment of the wicked, the very nature of Elohim, the commandments He has given to humanity, and so on. This is what it means that Elijah will “make straight paths” for Yah.
4) They invite the faithful to set their seals upon stones of witnesses. If all things are going to be done on earth as they are in Heaven, (Mat 6:10) and if the “keys to the Kingdom” are given into the keeping of sanctified humans, (Mat 16:19) and if redeemed humans participate in reviewing the judgment of men and angels, (1Cor 6:3) then it would be foolish indeed to claim that Church membership (a visible sign of acceptance into fellowship by that Church) has no value. It has great value as a witness to both the members themselves, and to the watching Heavens.
5) They will have an invincible faith, and do not wait to see an entire fulfillment of their requests before claiming the promises.
Dumah: Amen.
Pastor “Chick”: Amen.
Igor: Amen.
Zahakiel: I have not fully established that last one from the life of Elijah. I have shown that this is what the Church will do, but if they are the Eli-Yah people, then we must find that it was also true in the record of our forerunner. It is, and therefore I will establish it now.
After the confrontation with the priests, we find this: “And Elijah said unto Ahab, ‘Get thee up, eat and drink; for there is a sound of abundance of rain,’ […] and said to his servant, ‘Go up now, look toward the sea.’ And [the servant] went up, and looked, and said, ‘There is nothing.’ And he said, ‘Go again seven times.’
“And it came to pass at the seventh time, that he said, ‘Behold, there ariseth a little cloud out of the sea, like a man’s hand.’ And [Elijah] said, ‘Go up, say unto Ahab, “Prepare thy chariot, and get thee down, that the rain stop thee not.”‘ And it came to pass in the mean while, that the heaven was black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab rode, and went to Jezreel.” (1Ki 18:41-45)
Even before his servant saw the cloud, Elijah said confidently, “I hear the rain.”
Jen: Amen.
Zahakiel: Even before the first drops fell, at the slightest indication that his prayer was fulfilled, Elijah said, “Prepare thy chariot.” This is how it must be, as I indicated before, with the process of true conversion. Before we see the means, we must say, “I have obtained the victory.” Before we see the Heavenly shore, we must walk on those streets of gold.
Igor: Amen.
Guerline: Amen. I need to remember that.
Jen: Yahshua’s faithfulness.
Igor: Living in His Victory. Living in the Finished.
Zahakiel: This is how we become the Eli-Yah people: “It is your privilege to trust in the love of Jesus for salvation, in the fullest, surest, noblest manner; to say, ‘He loves me, He receives me; I will trust Him, for He gave His life for me.’ Nothing so dispels doubt as coming in contact with the character of Christ. He declares, ‘Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out;’ that is, there is no possibility of My casting him out, for I have pledged My word to receive him. Take Christ at His word, and let your lips declare that you have gained the victory.” [Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, page 517]
Will we not do this?
But one last thing before we close. We have seen who Elijah was, and what he did. Now, briefly, what happened to him?
We read: “And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into Heaven.” (2Kings 2:11)
Elijah, like Enoch, was taken into Heaven without seeing death. He was taken for the same reason Enoch was: “And Enoch walked with Elohim: and he was not; for Elohim took him.” (Gen 5:24) He was taken for the same reason the 144,000 will be taken, “These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb.” (Rev 14:4b)
But before Elijah was ready to be taken, he needed to first perfect a Christ-like character, just like the EliYah people do. For Elijah, his final flaw was discouragement, and a fear that was associated with it. Even though he had just won a great and visible triumph over 850 pagan priests, we find this:
“Then Jezebel sent a messenger unto Elijah, saying, ‘So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I make not thy life as the life of one of them by to morrow about this time.’ And when he saw that, he arose, and went for his life, and came to Beersheba, which belongeth to Judah, and left his servant there. And he arose, and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights unto Horeb the mount of God.” (1Ki 19:2, 3, 8)
Now, Yahweh helped him to go, although He did not approve of Elijah’s flight. Certainly, the prophet’s departure from Israel greatly weakened the witness he had provided on Carmel. Similarly, when WE consider fleeing from difficult situations, we must ask ourselves, “What will this do to my witness?” And even if Yahweh preserves us, and aids us, it does not necessarily follow that we have chosen the wisest course. It means only that He is trying to bring us to a place where He can speak with us clearly, as we shall see.
Zahakiel: By the way, the commentaries tell me that Elijah’s 40-day trip was only about 200 miles. Most people get the impression that Elijah was dashing off mindlessly, speeding over rocks and down through valleys… but no, we need to readjust our thinking on this. Elijah’s trip was slow, careful; he did more hiding than running, and in that time, he had a great many opportunities to reflect on his course. This prepared him for what was to come in Horeb:
“And it was so, when Elijah heard [a still, small voice], that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering in of the cave. And, behold, there came a voice unto him, and said, ‘What doest thou here, Elijah?’” (verse 13)
“What are you doing here, Elijah?” It is a question every member of the CSDA church must ask himself or herself. Because of who we are, we recognize the character of Yahweh. We know He is not in the flame, or the earthquake, or the whirlwind. (1Ki 19:11, 12) We know how to hear the still, small voice… and as we listen, Yahweh will lead us into a path of self-examination (asking ourselves questions) that will certainly equip us for both the dark times to come, and the glory of translation. This is the invitation of the New Moon.
Elijah saw his error, and repented. Yahweh encouraged him, appointed him a helper, and then sent him right back out to help others. So we are come full circle to the way this study began. When we are focused on “self” it becomes much more likely that Satan can convince us to shrug off responsibilities. But as we grow in grace and knowledge, we find that we “cannot” do this, just as we “cannot” commit sin; we must be involved in the work for others, and then we will stand firm, accomplish the five aspects of the EliYah mission, having surrendered our hearts to an invincible faith. And finally, we will find this to be true, “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as he is.” (1 John 3:2)
Zahakiel: I will end as I began, with a quote from Mrs. White’s writings:
“When the professed followers of Christ have an indwelling Saviour they will be found doing as Christ did. They will have no opportunity to rust through inaction. They will have enough to do. And the work which they do under the auspices of the church will be their greatest means of communicating light.
“The man who is working according to God’s plan will pray, ‘Let it be known this day in my work for suffering humanity that there is a God in Israel, and that I am Thy servant. Let it be seen that I am working not according to my own impulse and wisdom, but according to Thy Word.’
“When man places himself in this attitude, and realizes that he is working out God’s plan, and that God is working out His plan through him, he is in possession of divine power, which knows nothing of defeat. All the power of counter agencies is of no more account than the chaff of the threshing floor.” [Manuscript Releases Volume One, page 238]
Say when you are finished reading, and if there are any questions before we close.
Qinael: Finished; I have no questions.
Dave: Done.
Pastor “Chick”: Finished.
Guerline: Done.
Jen: Amen.
Crystle: Finished.
Nader: Yes.
Igor: Finished. Praise Father for His precious promises!
Dumah: Done.
Barb: Done, no questions.
Zahakiel: Now, pastor, will you dismiss us from the meeting with a prayer?
Pastor “Chick”: Certainly...
Dear Father,
You have given us your Holy roadmap and church manual, which shows us the way home. For that blessing we offer our thanks and praise.
We are encouraged in knowing that the fulfillment of the coming of EliYAH is with us... We are inspired to be a part of those “last movements” before the great and dreadful day of YAH...
Thank you for giving us your Spirit and that, without limit, as we follow the Lamb wherever He goes.
Bless each individual student here with the principles of this study, and thanks be to YAH for the human instrument which you call to teach.
Dismiss us together by your love, and until we meet again...
In YAHshua’s holy name – AMEN.
Zahakiel: Amen :)
Qinael: Amen.
Guerline: Amen.
Jen: From the heart spoken – Amen.
Dave: Amen.
Crystle: Amen!
Nader: Amen.
Barb: Amen
Igor: Amen.
