The Creature vs. The Creator
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Contents |
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1. Introduction |
Introduction
Qinael: Our most holy and loving Father,
We thank you for this opportunity to gather together in your name.
We ask for your blessing upon
each of us, as we come together to learn of you - knowing that the hours remaining
to learn of you freely are very few indeed.
We thank you for this time of cleansing and examination, and pray that
each one comes away with a renewed knowledge of your will for us, and cleansed
of all defects.
In the name of Yahshua we pray, amen.
Zahakiel: Amen.
Daphna: Amen.
Cheryl: Amen.
Happy Rock: Amen.
Guerline: Amen.
Naraiel: Amen.
Peterson: Amen.
Zahakiel: Happy New Moon to all. Today our topic is on the subject of “The Creature vs. The Creator.” While that sounds like I am talking about a fight, and a study could certainly be made about free will and its misuse to resist the purposes of the Almighty, today we’re going to look at it from a different, but very important, perspective. In fact we are going to look at this issue of the creature vs. the Creator from three viewpoints, and all of them are important for us to understand, either for our sanctification, or in order to be effective evangelists for those in the world or in apostate churches.
First, I want to share with you the verses from which the name of this month’s study came. It’s found here: “Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves, who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.” (Rom 1:22-25)
This is a verse that we have seen in a few studies before this one. It speaks here of paganism, in which individuals look at the things that Yah has done and made, such as the sun, the stars, or the animals, and worship them as powerful entities. The result of this worship follows the cause-and-effect principle that we become like the things and the people we worship and admire. It is natural for human beings to draw closer in characteristics to those things that they approve, which is why we must choose even our friends carefully, as bad company is a corruptive influence.
But while we can look at the obvious interpretation of this passage from Romans, and see examples in Scripture, we can apply the teaching of Paul in a symbolic sense as well without losing any of its applicability. Furthermore, we can also look at the subtle deceptions of the last days that are related to this matter, and that attempt to seduce us off the path of righteousness; this will be beneficial to those of us who are firmly set upon that path.
Idolatry
Zahakiel: In Paul’s letter to the Romans, and according to its most literal interpretation, we find that he is rebuking the ancient practices of the religious world, in which we find men placing their natural senses above that of their spiritual understanding. He speaks in the same letter about Gentiles, who do not know the name of Yahshua, but worship Him in ignorance under some other guise. But the real danger of paganism, which goes far beyond the actual act of worshipping a creation, is that it trains human beings to be chained to this world. It teaches them that the reality they can perceive by their five main senses is the only reality worth respecting.
If this is accepted as true, then we can understand how the terrible list of offenses that follow Paul’s statement can arise: “Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful,” etc., etc. (Rom 1:29-31)
Now, I want to be clear on something, especially as we covered a related subject in a recent study. It is not that fear of Yahweh and His judgment is the only thing keeping everyone from engaging in these activities… at least not completely (and you will see how this ties in shortly).
The way salvation works is this: We come to have the same mind of the Father and Son, sharing their Spirit, and then we are able to endure the glory of their Presence in Eternity. But first, for us to even begin that process of sanctification and then glorification, the Almighty first has to get our attention so that we can receive His declaration that we are “made just,” or Justified. Because humanity is naturally corrupt in Adam, this often involves a “shock to the system,” and the most effective means Biblically is an experience of the might and power of the Creator. When this is retained in our memories, it encourages us to seek after Yah, and we find as we develop that obedience becomes less and less a matter of reward and punishment, and more a matter of loving responsiveness to His infinite majesty.
It is all a matter of preparation. When Yah was bringing His people out of slavery, He gave them symbols, rituals and objects that they could use to represent key aspects of their faith. He could not speak to them of deep spiritual truths without providing them with focal points, since all they had ever known was the powerful and sensual religion that promoted the Egyptian pantheon – in other words, Egyptian paganism. Human beings knew the heat of the sun. They knew the power of the serpent’s venom. They had come to fear the mysteries hidden in the darkness of night. Because of this, it was “natural” to respect the gods of their captive homeland, for they were the personifications of these things.
But what Yahweh was trying to do, was to subtly wean them away from these things. There were no images that could be used to represent Elohim Himself, but He utilized images for His servants the Cherubim. He had carvings of lions and bulls, things His people could relate to as powerful and yet, as subservient to Him. Even when the prophets such as Isaiah and Ezekiel saw the Divine Presence, it was supported by creatures that had manifest themselves as eagles, bulls and oxen. These images were intended to convey a sense of Yahweh that went beyond the power of any natural entity, of anything created.
Now what Paul was pointing out to the Romans is that, unfortunately, most of humanity is indeed led by its natural senses, and will therefore “worship” (even if that exact word is not used) the things that they can see, hear and feel. They respect the power of animals and natural forces, which they can perceive with their natural senses, but most do not respect the One who called these things into being with a mere word. The true danger of idolatry and paganism, therefore, is that it encourages this very practice, training them to rely on the fleshly senses. Thus, individuals who participate in this dim their spiritual perceptions, and they actually “insulate” themselves from the display of Yah’s majesty (that “shock to the system”) that would allow them to “Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God.” (1Cor 15:34)
Are there any questions about this first perspective on the matter of the Creature vs. the Creator?
Peterson: No.
Daphna: No.
Happy Rock: No.
Guerline: No.
Cheryl: No.
Galiel: No.
Qinael: No.
Beasts
Zahakiel: All right, let’s move on to another viewpoint. We’re going to begin by looking at the production of one particular creation: “And Elohim said, ‘Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so.’” (Gen 1:24)
Traditionally, and I think it is accurate, the “beasts” generally refer to warm-blooded mammalian creatures, and not to birds, fish or reptiles. Specifically, we are told, “Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which Yahweh Elohim had made.” (Gen 3:1) And we remember, the serpent was not without limbs of some kind until after the curse, (Gen 3:14) and therefore it either had legs and walked, or had wings and flew (or both). I think that, if the original serpent had both legs and wings, it would very easily explain the winged “dragon” archetype that is in practically every human culture’s historical and mythological consciousnesses.
Now if we were to simply apply what we have been speaking about before, we would arrive right back at standard paganism. Instead of carved images of animals, we would merely have people worshipping the creatures themselves. And of course, there are some religions that do have a high degree of religious reverence for animals (like the “sacred cows” of Hinduism).
But as all of us know, because it is vital to our understanding of prophecy, the Bible uses “beasts” to represent human rulers, whether collectively (as a kingdom or government) or individually (as a king or other figure possessing secular authority). Daniel, we may recall, spells this out plainly in his book, (Dan 7:17, 23) so we do not need to work too hard to figure that part out.
And how it applies to our topic today is found largely in the other main prophetic book of the Bible, Revelation. We find statements such as the following:
“And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.” (Rev 13:1)
“And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, ‘Who is like unto the beast? Who is able to make war with him?’” (Rev 13:4)
And then here is a longer passage
from that chapter; I will post it all at once, so just let me know when you are
finished with it: “And I beheld another beast coming up
out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a
dragon. And he exerciseth all the power
of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell
therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound
was healed.
“And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, and deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.” (Rev 13:11-15)
Qinael: Finished.
Cheryl: Done.
Daphna: Done.
Galiel: Done.
Ye: Done.
Guerline: Done.
Happy Rock: Done.
Zahakiel: So here we see worship, not of the actual animals, but the human powers of the earth. This is truly as much idolatry as the bowing down to animals or their graven images that we discussed during our look at the first perspective. Because we are human beings, in our flesh it is easy to be intimidated or impressed by human power, human inventions. In fact, so alluring is the temptation to rely on human might in a crisis that Yah had to provide a number of warnings to His people about replacing their trust in him with a dependence on mortal strength or wisdom:
“Thus saith Yahweh, ‘Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from Yahweh.’” (Jer 17:5) Some of these are particularly applicable to the opponents of the Gospel in this generation; according to Jeremiah’s record, reliance upon the arm of flesh is the same as a departure from Yahweh.
Here is another: “Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help; and stay on horses, and trust in chariots because they are many; and in horsemen because they are very strong; but they look not unto the Holy One of Israel, neither seek Yahweh!” (Isa 31:1)
We also read of a different kind of human strength: “Trust in Yahweh with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.” (Pro 3:5, 6)
I could give several more of these kinds of verses, but I think the point is made. And the result of worshipping these things is, of course, the same as in any other kind of idolatry… we lose that vital sense of awe for the things that Yahweh has done, and make it harder for the Holy Spirit to gently guide our consciences into making the right decisions.
When we speak to others about our resistance to the Trademark policy, and the agreement that the SDA General Conference has come to with the U.S. government, we get some interesting reactions. Some people speak about the United States as if it were something like God Himself. And they say, in almost identical words to the prophecy of Revelation, “Who can make war against the beast?” Well, when they say it, it sounds more like, “How can you disobey the courts?” or, “You don’t know the kind of power you are messing with.” Sometimes they say, “How can you dare to go against the judges’ rulings?”
Now when the courts speak, they will “command” us to obey, and seek to “order” us around. And as I have said before, that’s all fine and good when they are operating in their divinely ordained sphere: to punish civil crimes and felonies. But when they seek to impose their will upon religious matters, and call one manner of worship or another a crime under their jurisdiction, then they are as antichrist himself, “Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.” (2Th 2:4) This is where the “idolatry” and “paganism” principles comes into play… because there are people who worship that kind of power that the Bible describes under the heading “beast” or “creature.”
Happy Rock: Truly.
Zahakiel: Traditionally, Adventism has ascribed the action Paul writes about in 2 Thessalonians to the pope of the Roman Catholic Church, and of course that office does fulfill this principle, no doubt about that. But in the New World, we have another power that is currently commanding obedience in matters of religion, ordering and instructing human beings in areas of religious observance, attempting to exalt its influence “above all that is called God” in the minds and spirits of faithful Christians called Creation Seventh Day Adventists. And all who either agree with this ruling, or allow it to exist unchallenged by their passive acceptance are receiving the claims of this organization that it can, in fact, command the loyalties of the faithful. They are, as it will be revealed in the Day of Judgment, worshipping the creature and not the Creator every bit as much as Paul describes it in the passage from Romans 1.
Happy Rock: The SDA’s are now walking in the footsteps of the Roman Catholic Church.
Zahakiel: Very much so; a very “image” of that first organization.
In fact, what makes the worship of this beast particularly grievous is that it doubly violates Paul’s inspired teaching. Paul warns us not to worship the creature rather than the creator, but those who go along with the Trademark of the name “Seventh Day Adventist” either actively or passively are worshipping a creature of the creature! In that passage I quoted from Revelation 13, we read that the second beast instructs humanity “that they should make an image to the [first] beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.” In other words, the image (which is the corporation making the oppressive law) is a creation of the creature (the second beast: The United States where it seeks to impose its will on religious liberty and thus betray its own Creator).
Does everyone understand this? I am showing that this idea, though it seems merely political or policy-based, is actually founded on the same principles as outright paganism and idolatry.
Galiel: Yes.
Daphna: Yes.
Naraiel: Yes.
Barb: Yes.
Happy Rock: Yes.
Guerline: Yes.
Ye: Yes.
Cheryl: Ok... So you are saying the SDA church is the corporation, which is a creation of the creature?
Guerline: SDA Inc. is the corporation.
Zahakiel: Not the SDA Church, the General Conference. There is a difference, though it is often blurred.
Cheryl: <nods>
Zahakiel: It’s like the Sanhedrin. They were the governing body of the Jewish Church.
Qinael: It’s sort of like differentiating between the Papacy and the Roman Catholic Church.
Zahakiel: Right, there is the other example. And while all the members are guilty of the leaders’ actions, it is the leadership itself that forms this image.
Cheryl: <nods>
Zahakiel: The underlying principles of these things are laid down in numerous previous studies; what I am doing here is pointing out exactly the danger to the soul here… it is not that Yahweh gets “angry” in a human sense and takes vengeance against those who unite with the beast in the oppression (again, either active or passive) of His people. Rather, those who come to the same decisions and mindset of the beast are impossible to save… because they have made themselves so used to worshipping the creature that the Creator cannot speak their spiritual language any longer. They have, by their worship of the creation of man, (which is perhaps even worse than worshipping the creation of Yahweh) taught themselves how to be slaves to the principles of this fallen world. They have blasphemed (essentially resisted to their destruction) the Holy Spirit that seeks to draw men out of this great darkness, and because of this they can no longer receive forgiveness in any useful way. (Mat 12:31)
So, men are to respect kings, rulers and governments, as we have many verses indicating. But men are not to worship governments, or courts, or any individual. These are all created beings, and their creations in turn are even less worthy of worship. These things are not to ever take the place in our minds, hearts or actions, that is to be occupied by Yahweh only, and this is the true Protestant Ethic as it applies to temporal powers. We speak often about Protestants resisting the intrusion of civil magistrates into religious matters, and what I am doing here is laying out exactly why this must be so: because we oppose paganism and idolatry on principle.
Are there any questions about this second application?
Galiel: No.
Barb: No.
Daphna: No.
Cheryl: No.
Ye: No.
Happy Rock: No.
Guerline: No.
Peterson: No.
Naraiel: No.
Qinael: No.
Distractions
Zahakiel: So we have seen that outright idolatry and paganism is a fatal religious error. We have seen that the worship of human corporations and organizations – “worship” inasmuch as we would allow them to control our actions and practices that should be solely the domain of religious liberty – is to be met with the uttermost contempt from the true Christian. As Paul says to the Colossians, only the Church, the “Body of Christ” is to arbitrate Sabbaths, New Moons, meat and drink, and other practical elements of Christian practice.
But there is another way we can look at this issue of the creature vs. the Creator, and understanding this viewpoint can unlock a lot of potential for sanctification in our individual walks.
Seeing the teaching of today from this perspective involves the realization that a “creature” of Yahweh may be more than just a physical thing. It may be more than just a group of things such as human beings. Sometimes, the “creature” is simply something, or some event, that Yahweh allows to come into our path. And you may wonder, “Well, how is it that we could ever come to ‘worship’ something like that?” Well, it’s quite possible.
Think for a moment about the stereotype of a doctor, lawyer or some other professional that spends so much time on his or her work that this individual’s family is neglected, and suffers greatly for it. Consider that this is also possible to do with religious matters as well. How many of you have seen the movie, “The Ten Commandments,” with Charlton Heston?
Cheryl: Not me.
Happy Rock: I have.
Daphna: Jody and I both have.
Galiel: Yes, pastor and I have.
Ye: Once.
Zahakiel: That movie had a lot of interesting, and maybe even useful, points to it. But there was one thing I really didn’t like about it, and that is one aspect of the portrayal of Moses after he became a leader of the Israelites. In essence, the movie depicted Moses as becoming indifferent, if not downright cold, toward his wife. She makes a statement to another character in the movie that she lost him when “he found his God.”
Now, I don’t believe at all that this actually happened with Moses. I believe that a genuinely faithful follower of Yahweh will properly represent the relationship between the husband and wife that is intended to convey the intimacy, the closeness, between the Father and Son, as Paul explains in his epistles. And yet, while I don’t like that particular element of Moses’ portrayal by “The Ten Commandments,” I can appreciate it as a warning… because things like that DO indeed happen with individuals who allow themselves to be distracted by a “good thing.”
Working for Yahweh is a good thing. Following up an opportunity that the Almighty, in His providence, opens up for us is a good thing. Having, or being in school or training for, a good job, is a good thing. And yet, these things are creations of Yahweh’s grace toward us. Some have even made idols of spouses, of children, of parents, after all.
Guerline: Exactly.
Zahakiel: These are all things that Yahweh intended as blessings to humanity: gainful employment, family, friends… and as a result these are some of the things that Satan tries particularly hard to taint, because he understands just how mighty a blessing these things can be for the Christian.
And if Satan cannot corrupt them, he has another, more subtle, trick to play. He can cease to resist our use and enjoyment of these things, and instead attempt to use the “momentum” as it were, to force us into the other extreme, devoting time to these things at the expense of our relationship with the Savior. I spoke a couple studies ago about how to deal with resistance and unbelief among family members (for one example)… but here I speak of a more subtle deception, that of allowing them to be distractions, even if they are not opponents.
I gave up my employment to be faithful to my religious obligations, and I did it gladly. It wasn’t an idol for me, although I enjoyed it. What we must all do is to search ourselves to see if there is anything in our lives that is distracting us from our duties toward our Father in Heaven.
And it may be something as simple as cutting into our prayer and Bible study time… we need to understand that even though these distractions may be important to us, maybe even “good” in a very real sense, holding them to be more important to us than the One who allowed us to have them can be every bit as dangerous as the other two kinds of idolatry. It is still holding the creature in higher regard than the Creator. At best, it robs us of time to build a saving relationship with the Redeemer. At worst, it actually trains us to resist the Holy Spirit when we would so vitally need the voice of inspiration.
And this brings me, as I conclude, to one of the most subtle deceptions that we can meet about this creature vs. Creator issues. I read from Paul’s writings what is one of our most blessed promises, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” (2Cor 5:17)
One who is born again is “a new creature.” But at that moment, we find that there is a “new creature” that Satan can use as a distraction to pull our attention away from the Creator. What does that mean? Well, it can manifest itself in several ways, and in fact… it was the universe’s very first sin. Some may have heard (and in fact we have at times been accused by the ignorant of teaching this) of the “holy flesh” doctrine. This is a form of Gnosticism that says that once the spirit is “saved,” the flesh is essentially beyond temptation. There are some subtle variations in how it’s applied, but it boils down to the idea that you cannot sin, even theoretically, and therefore everything you do after you are born again is above reproach. We, of course, read in the Scriptures that even the redeemed need reminders, even rebukes, and this is the reason why the Church structure is vital to sanctification.
The “Once Saved Always Saved” or “Eternal Security” doctrine is another form of this subtle error. Once you are “saved,” you cannot lose your salvation, because this “new creature” is heading for Heaven, no matter what it decides to do. Lucifer came to this belief by considering that he was so holy, the “rules” of his existence held little importance for him. While this is not “worship” in the strictest sense of the word, it is a form of “self-worship,” and it certainly removes the sovereignty of Yahweh and His Son, who have specifically said through Their servant the following words: “Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as He is righteous. He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for His Seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.” (1John 3:7-9)
Now, it does not matter how liberally one reads this passage, these words will meet us at the Judgment Seat of Christ, before which we all must appear, (Rom 14:10, 2Cor 5:10) and I know that the 144,000 will meet this judgment with confidence, and not fear. And what a wonderful thought this is, to meet THE defining moment of a human being’s existence for all eternity, the moment when they stand before their Creator, and to see that person standing there with great reverence, and great awe, but also with a perfect balance of meekness and confidence. That is the goal of our doctrine as a people.
And balance, after all, is what we are talking about here. It was an imbalance that led to Lucifer’s self-worship. It was imbalance that caused him to worship the creature (himself) rather than the Creator. It is imbalance that he seeks to spread among humanity to cause them to become idolaters, pagans, worshippers of human authority instead of Yahweh, and souls leavened off the path by the distractions of even “good things” that our Father has provided for us.
Are there any questions before we close?
Qinael: No.
Barb: No.
Galiel: No.
Daphna: No.
Happy Rock: No.
Cheryl: No.
Peterson: No.
Zahakiel: Ok. I will close today’s meeting, then.
Father in Heaven,
We thank you for the graciousness that you have shown toward us. We
thank you for the character that you have revealed to us through the life,
death and resurrection of your Son. As we have been told, great and terrible
times are ahead of us. But we know that this is merely the darkness before the
everlasting day.
May your Spirit guide and seal us into the faith of your Son Yahshua,
that most precious faith necessary for an escape from the corruption that is in
this world. May we, as your servant has said, keep ourselves from idols, and
idols of any kind, not only of carvings and physical creatures, but also from
anything, real or imaginary, which would exalt itself to your place in our
minds and hearts.
Bless us as we keep this advice, and your presence, ever before us to
guide our steps. We ask this in the name of your Son Yahshua, Amen.
Galiel: Amen.
Daphna: Amen.
Qinael: Amen.
Cheryl: Amen.
Happy Rock: Amen.
Guerline: Amen.
