New Moon Meeting: January 2006, 3:10 EST
The Altar of Mercy
Pastor “Chick”: Before we begin, I wanted to announce something...
Zahakiel: Go ahead.
Pastor “Chick”: We have had a grand experience of unity here in Guys. This is the most blessed New Moon for this congregation that I recall. Praise be to YAH!!
Zahakiel: Amen :)
Zahakiel: Well, let’s get started, then. Luke, will you please pray for us?
Qinael: Our most holy and loving Father,
We thank you for this time you have given us to come together in Your name. We thank you for bringing us safely through another month, and closer to both you and each other throughout...
We thank you that in you we find true peace and true unity, and from no other source, as you are the author of all peace, all unity, and all joy.
We ask, and we thank you as already receiving, a blessing to attend this meeting, the speaker, those reading in the present time, and those to read in the future. May your Spirit be poured out upon us, that we may ever more fully show your character to a hungry and dark world.
In the name of Yahshua we pray, amen.
Zahakiel: Amen.
Pastor “Chick”: Amen.
Brendan: Amen.
Barb: Amen.
Israfel: Amen.
Dave: Amen.
Igor: Amen.
Jen: Amen.
Crystle: Amen.
Annetta: Amen.
Guerline: Amen.
Dumah: Amen.
Naraiel: Amen.
Jen: So beautiful to be with the saints.
Zahakiel: Well, I am glad to see you all here. This week’s study is a little detailed, has some solemnity to it... and in fact is something of a continuation from last month’s. Fortunately, I know that all of you, even those “new” to most others have studied our work... and so it will not come as anything really out of the blue :)
I am going to begin today’s study in an unusual manner. I’ll ask some questions, because I think they are important for not only me to ask, but for you to know about yourself… and hopefully they will bring forth some obvious answers.
The questions are these:
1) Do you want a compromised faith?
All: No.
Zahakiel: No. I thought not. Yet, there are places, there are churches, where people can go to participate in that kind of belief system.
2) Do you want a Church where the members do not know, or do not care, what their leaders are doing?
All: No.
Zahakiel: No. I expected not. Yet, there are places, there are churches, where people can go to participate in that kind of organization.
3) Do you want a Church where those placed in positions of authority do not know, or do not care, what their congregation is doing?
All: No.
Zahakiel: No. I hoped not. Yet there are places, there are churches, where people can go to participate in that kind of anarchy.
One more.
4) Do you want a Church that has become worldly in its thinking, in its policies, in its theology, justifying sin and seeking to silence or harm those who oppose its authority?
All: No.
Zahakiel: No. I prayed not, yet there are places for that also.
Easy questions :)
There are Churches for every kind of person in the world today. They are tailor-made for the kinds of vice and iniquity that please the men of today’s word, and you find them scattered across varying denominations – we need not single any tradition out, but glance over those four items, and you will undoubtedly think of several that meet those criteria.
Zahakiel: We find this time in which we are living reflected in the warnings of the apostles. “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.” (2Tim 3:1-5)
“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.” (2Tim 4:3, 4)
We have known men (and women) like that, and know them today. There are churches for people like that. The CSDA Church is not one of them.
Jen: Amen.
Zahakiel: Yahweh calls all Churches that are not His by one name, “Babylon.” They are many, they are confused, yet the Scripture calls them all collectively by one name: Babylon. There is another name also, and it is found here: “I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the Synagogue of Satan.” (Revelation 2:9)
The word “Synagogue” means, basically, a congregation. Literally it means, “brought together.” The ones who claim to be of the true people, yet are not, are brought together by a specific concept: opposition to the truth. It does not matter HOW they oppose it, by what specific means, or on what specific issue – they are united in their opposition to the truth as a whole, as a harmonious unit.
And further, they are united for a specific purpose. Look at the verse right after that one: “Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.” (Rev 2:10)
Immediately after mentioning the Synagogue of Satan, the collection of the ungodly, Yahshua says, “But do not be concerned about the things you will suffer.” Is anyone missing the connection?
Zahakiel: Rather, then, can someone explain the connection? :)
Qinael: Yahshua speaks of a synagogue of Satan and sets a subject, then continues on the same subject saying don’t fear the things you will suffer... The connection is that the synagogue of Satan will cause us (the faithful) to suffer, and some of us to be cast into prison (the devil through his synagogue).
Zahakiel: That’s right.
Qinael: Basically, they unite against the truth and persecute it.
Guerline: So those who say they are and are not will persecute the true ones.
Zahakiel: Yes.
There are some who do not even realize the depth of their opposition; it is but a word of doubt here, merely an insinuating question there… but the worst of calamities can begin with a question. For example: “Yea, hath God said…?” (Gen 3:1)
Souls are precious in the sight of Yahweh, and many are delicate from their time in the darkness of the world and false religion. The Scripture says, “But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.” (Mat 18:6)
You cannot oppose the truth without opposing the messengers of the truth. This is why the ungodly always persecute the godly, even as Cain did his brother. (Gen 4:8, 1John 3:12) After all, an imperfect messenger has either not understood the message he bears, or the message itself is false. A sincere messenger bearing a false message has likewise not been sent by Heaven.
We are the epistles. We are the message.
Zahakiel: Now it is true that Yahshua is the Message (capital M), being the “Way, the Truth and the Life,” (John 14:6) but it is He who dwells in us, it is He who overcomes sin in us, it is He who lives in us. (Gal 2:20) It is Christ in YOU that is the hope of glory, the message to the world. (Col 1:27) Christ is the Savior, yes, yet “How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?” (Rom 10:14)
Pastor “Chick”: Amen.
Zahakiel: When you hear people saying, “Oh, Christ will just do it Himself,” they are putting down the responsibility to which they were called. Yes, Christ will do it Himself, but there are those who despise the means He has chosen to do it, through redeemed, human vessels. “And He said unto them, ‘Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.’” (Mark 16:15) There is a Church that is doing that, and it is not like those I listed in the questions above.
What it boils down to, basically, is this: The Church of Yahshua is beset on every side. Where there aren’t temptations, there are trials. It is small wonder, IF we employ human reasoning, that every previous manifestation of the Church eventually went corrupt (when it wasn’t hunted to the point of extinction and driven off into caves and mountains).
The problem is that the previous caretakers DID employ human reasoning, and thus they inevitably fell. They forgot, or began to doubt, that Yahshua would preserve them despite the clearly visible trial before them. Doubt cannot move mountains, thus they were crushed.
Guerline: Amen.
Zahakiel: Solomon did the same. “And the king made silver in Jerusalem as stones, and cedar trees made he as the sycomore trees that are in the low plains in abundance. And they brought unto Solomon horses out of Egypt, and out of all lands.” (2Chron 9:27, 28)
What does the Bible teach? “…from among thy brethren shalt thou set king over thee: thou mayest not set a stranger over thee, which is not thy brother. But he shall [must] not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt, to the end that he should multiply horses: forasmuch as Yahweh hath said unto you, ‘Ye shall henceforth return no more that way.’” (Deu 17:15b, 16)
And remember, this was written well before Solomon.
Again, “But king Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites; And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart.” (1Kings 11:1, 3)
What does the Bible teach? “Neither shall he [the king] multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away: neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold.” (Deu 17:17)
Zahakiel: Solomon employed human reasoning, and he fell. Oh, now... he had good reasons for his decisions. If you are surrounded by enemies, you “need” a strong army. If you want to get along with the kings of the other nations, you have to marry their daughters. That’s the way it was done :)
But those are human reasons.
Yes, Solomon did, and taught, many wonderful things, but his faith was not perfect. In discussions about the victory, we meet some who will quote Solomon, who said, “there is no man that sinneth not.” (1Kings 8:46) A single statement, made on a single occasion (the same occasion is quoted in 2Chron 6) by a man whose faith was not nearly perfect… and this is used to refute the statements of the Messiah Himself, who said, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. […] If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” (John 8:34, 36) Not everything the Bible records is necessarily what the Bible teaches. Is that clear to everyone?
Qinael: <nods.>
Naraiel: Yes.
Crystle: Yes.
Barb: Yes.
Igor: Yes.
Guerline: True.
Dumah: Yeah.
Jen: Yes.
Pastor “Chick”: Agreed.
Zahakiel: I said I had an unusual beginning today, and it was… our topic this New Moon is actually mercy.
Dumah: All right.
Zahakiel: Yet there are some who have a false concept of mercy, and they apply it to the most unusual things… like church membership and how to deal with certain verses of the New Testament. And when I say, “deal with” I mean, “avoid.”
Some have said, “Oh, it doesn’t matter what you believe, only believe…” and thus, the congregation, Church, assembly, fellowship, etc. is not an issue.
That is not what the Bible teaches.
We have been over that idea several times, about whether or not Christ’s Body can be divided and still function, so I will not emphasize that much this time. What I would like to emphasize is the concept of an “altar call.”
Recent events have made it clear, at least to ME, that the closer one gets to the truth, and unity with the Body, without actually HAVING it, the more dangerous it is.
Pastor “Chick”: Amen.
Zahakiel: What do I mean by that?
I mean that Satan does not care about people in the world. People come to me and say things like, “Can you believe what they are doing in Italy?” Or, “What do you think of what’s going on here, or there, or this or that country.” Or, “Would you look at what that church is teaching?” And I say to them, “Why do you expect the world to act any different than what it is?”
When people react with horror to the SDA trademark, it shows that they are slowly beginning to wake up; if they knew what had been going on with their leaders for years and years, it would not come as a surprise that their policies look exactly like that which is found in a worldly institution. It is merchandise now. The SDA® name has become a property of this world. And that is just one example.
Zahakiel: Satan does not care what the people IN the world are doing. He lets them be to follow their silly pleasures, and live out their relatively meaningless lives. He has them; the worst thing he could do (from his point of view) is make it plain to them that they are slaves. It is when people start to draw near the Church, and by that I mean THE Church, not A Church, that the demons begin to take notice.
If they hear the message, the demons begin to put doubts in their minds. If they accept a messenger, they may send a false teacher to counter it. If they start to study for baptism, then the fireworks can really begin.
Now to expand a little on what I said before, some people have a misunderstanding of the concept of “mercy.” They equate it, although they may not realize it, with “indifference.”
Let me give you a few examples, and you will see exactly what I mean.
I ask, “How does Yahweh deal with willful sin?”
I hear, “Oh, He shows mercy.”
I ask, “Does Yahweh care about what doctrines you accept?”
I hear, “Oh, we have to stay away from controversies; Yahweh is merciful.”
Now, it is true that the Bible says to avoid things that lead to “questions,” which is more correctly translated in some versions as “controversies” in 1Timothy 1:4; yet we need only look at what he is really telling them to avoid: false doctrines, fables and endless earthly genealogies, which have no profit in the world to come, or the present work of teaching the Gospel. We must be able to decide what is right and wrong, after all.
Another:
I ask, “What is the name of the true Church?”
I hear, “What does that matter? Yahweh has many children, many people, on whom He shows mercy.”
Zahakiel: Now, if you stick the word “indifference” where you see “mercy” you will see exactly what they really mean. But there are some true, Biblical, answers to those questions.
How does Yahweh deal with willful sin?
He sent His Son, and through Him paid an infinite price, so that we would be cleansed of it, completely and forever cleansed. That is true mercy.
Pastor “Chick”: Amen.
Igor: Amen.
Naraiel: Amen.
Brendan: Amen.
Dumah: Amen.
Guerline: He provided a way of escape.
Zahakiel: Right, that is exactly what He did. If we despise that Sacrifice, and continue in willful sin after we believe we are converted, that is evidence of a heart that has not, in fact, accepted mercy in the true sense.
Does Yahweh care about what doctrines you accept?
In His mercy, He has preserved His Word, and His Spirit speaks to men, convicting of sin. Unfortunately, some have been trained by the Synagogue of Satan to ignore the pricks of conscience, to slumber when the voice of Mercy would say, “There is something wrong here.” This conviction, if followed, would have led to a seeking that eventually fulfilled its purpose.
Here is a quote most of us have seen before: “When the doctrine we accept kills sin in the heart, purifies the soul from defilement, bears fruit unto holiness, we may know that it is the truth of God. When benevolence, kindness, tenderheartedness, sympathy, are manifest in our lives; when the joy of right doing is in our hearts; when we exalt Christ, and not self, we may know that our faith is of the right order.” [Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing, page 146, paragraph 3]
Eventually, those trained in the Satanic Synagogue fall into the sin-repent cycle, and they claim that Yahweh is too merciful to allow them to “stay” down. We agree with that, to a point, but more… He is too merciful to allow those who are truly His to “fall” down. The Scripture says He “is able to keep you from falling.” (Jude 1:24) But more than able, more than willing, (2Peter 3:9) He has promised to DO. “When I said, ‘My foot slippeth,’ thy mercy, O Yah, held me up.” (Psa 94:18)
That is what Biblical mercy does. It keeps one from getting hurt in the first place.
Pastor “Chick”: Hallelu-YAH!
Guerline: Amen.
Zahakiel: Third question…
What is the name of the true Church?
Some will say it has no name. It is inter-denominational, or non-denominational, or locally bounded, or scattered across the various traditions…
Now, the latter is true in a sense, but if there be those who are members of the Church in the spirit while fellowshipping with those who are NOT members of the Church (in either the spirit or the flesh!), they are worshipping the true God at an unknown altar. The Bible speaks about those who did something similar.
In Athens, just to make sure they weren’t leaving any of the gods out, they built an “Altar to The Unknown God,” and prayed there. Paul said, tactfully and rightly, that they were correct in realizing that the gods they knew were not enough (for they were not gods at all)… and he sought to introduce them to the true Creator.
Zahakiel: Let’s look at that passage, for it has a very key teaching:
“Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars’ hill, and said, ‘Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious [the word means “religious”]. For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, Him declare I unto you.
“‘God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that He is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; neither is worshipped with men’s hands, as though He needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; and hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation, that they should seek Yahweh, if haply they might feel after Him, and find Him, though He be not far from every one of us.
“‘For in Him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, “For we are also his offspring.” Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man’s device. And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent.’” (Acts 22:30)
I have posted it all, but I will wait for you to catch up :) Say when you are done.
Qinael: Done.
Brendan: Ok.
Pastor “Chick”: Finished.
Dave: Done.
Dumah: A bit out of breath ...but done.
Igor: Done.
Crystle: Finished.
Naraiel: Finished.
Barb: Done.
Zahakiel: The world has not improved since then. There are many gods. Some are one, some are three-in-one, some are three acting-as-one. Some are many acting as three acting as one… it can get confusing, and it is small wonder that there is a move away from dogmatism, from people who say, “It is like this.” Paul, today, could not get away with statements like, “And if anyone comes to you teaching any other doctrine than that which I have brought, let him be condemned to hell!” (direct paraphrase of Gal 1:8)
The world (in general) has no taste for that kind of divine authority anymore. But that does not mean there is less mercy on the earth today than there was then. That does not mean that the true witnesses are weaker, or less sure of themselves.
No indeed, Adventists know, or at least they have been TOLD; whether they know it or not is another matter... In any case, it has been written to Adventists the following: “In this fearful time, just before Christ is to come the second time, God’s faithful preachers will have to bear a still more pointed testimony than was borne by John the Baptist. A responsible, important work is before them; and those who speak smooth things, God will not acknowledge as His shepherds. A fearful woe is upon them.” [Testimonies for the Church Volume One, page 321, paragraph 2]
Jen: What a powerful invitation.
Zahakiel: Yes. And if you know how John the Baptist preached, you will realize that the woman who wrote this, like Isaiah, was “very bold” in some of her statements. (Rom 10:20)
Now, does anyone have any questions on what has come so far?
Igor: No, just a desire to embrace the boldness.
Dumah: I do.
Do you understand EGW to be speaking of the rebukes to the religious leaders rather then that of Herod?
Zahakiel: The message was all the same; not it is true that it was phrased differently to meet different people, but it was designed to convict, to stir the hearts of the hearers.
Pastor “Chick”: There is a quote in The Great Controversy (in the chapter “Final Warning”) that speaks of the saints doing as Eli-YAH did.
I do not have the quote handy, but I can post it at the close of the meeting...
Zahakiel: All right, and I will add it to the online transcript.
The quote that was posted later on was this: “In every generation God has sent His servants to rebuke sin, both in the world and in the church. But the people desire smooth things spoken to them, and the pure, unvarnished truth is not acceptable. Many reformers, in entering upon their work, determined to exercise great prudence in attacking the sins of the church and the nation. They hoped, by the example of a pure Christian life, to lead the people back to the doctrines of the Bible. But the Spirit of God came upon them as it came upon Elijah, moving him to rebuke the sins of a wicked king and an apostate people; they could not refrain from preaching the plain utterances of the Bible – doctrines which they had been reluctant to present. They were impelled to zealously declare the truth and the danger which threatened souls. The words which the Lord gave them they uttered, fearless of consequences, and the people were compelled to hear the warning.” [The Great Controversy, page 606, paragraph1]
Zahakiel: So we were speaking of Mrs. White’s statements. She made a bold statement, and declared that we, in turn, must bear a strong message. At the same time, we cannot apologize for the boldness... we must do our work, even if the men to whom the Gospel is brought do not have the ears to hear it.
We MUST teach, and with no compromise (for you have said you do not want a compromised faith), “Whosoever is born of Yahweh doth NOT commit sin.” (1John 3:9)
Jen: Amen.
Zahakiel: We must teach the truth about the new birth, and I say to you truly, if anyone teaches anything contrary to this… it matters now how smoothly and pleasantly, or how artfully they twist around the oft-repeated “proof-texts” otherwise, let him be judged most harshly! I do not say this because the concept of souls being lost appeals to me, but because the concept of souls being lost does NOT appeal to me. One false teacher can lead many astray.
It is true that there are many gods, and many altars (i.e., denominations, or non-denominations as the case may be) at which to worship them. I do not want to discuss the Biblical arguments against the ecumenical (inter, and non, denominational) ideas too deeply here. I have a relatively new article for that here, explaining our stand on it; specifically, that we are a “denominated people” which is not the same (and never has been) as what the word “denomination” has come to mean in modern times:
And another is related to the CSDA Church specifically here:
What I would like to discuss now is the fact that mercy has preserved the true Altar of Prayer.
Zahakiel: Now, mercy will not force people to bow at that altar; it never will. Even on that day when every knee bows, it will be only because the self-imposed veils are taken away, and then, for that moment, men will do what men were created to do – acknowledge the majesty of the Almighty. (Rom 14:11, Ecc 12:13)
A true Altar Call is that which calls men and women to the true Altar. It’s just that simple. At the end of last month’s study, I made an appeal to those who were studying with us to get serious about the decision before them. We cannot have a mixed multitude going into the Promised Land. I have been instructed, “Do not let this teaching fall to the ground.” It is something those who are committed to the truth need to say more often, and something those who are not committed need (obviously) to hear more often.
It is Yah’s mercy that He preserved an Altar for Himself in these wicked days. It is NOT His mercy to ignore people who reject that Altar. If men did not need a unity of the faith, He would not have provided it, just like… if men did not need a Savior, He would not have sent His Son. To some people, the “mercy” of Yah means that He is bound to keep them alive if they don’t take the medicine He has graciously provided for them. That is not what He says about Himself, and this is what makes the judgment just.
Zahakiel: So let’s talk about altars for a moment. What is an altar used for?
Jen: Sacrifice.
Crystle: Sacrifice.
Guerline: To sacrifice.
Zahakiel: That’s right, for sacrifices. (Exo 20:24)
Naraiel: To present before Yah our living offerings.
Zahakiel: Yes, and that gets into our application of an Altar :)
Under the Old Covenant, which we will look at first, animals were sacrificed, as well as meal (flour), new wine… physical things, basically. The first covenant was the covenant of the “letter,” (2Cor 3:5-9) and therefore the sacrifices were things that men valued according to the flesh.
But the altars were also places of mercy. We did a study a few months ago about the Cities of Refuge (a good one to review), and the altar worked in exactly the same way as these cities. The Cities of Refuge were where you could go if you inadvertently killed someone, and the people in these cities would protect a refugee from the next of kin (whose job it was to take vengeance) unless it was proven that the murder was willful. If the person who slew another was willfully guilty, as decided by the congregation there, he was delivered to the avenger. (Num 35:15-35)
Here is a record from the early days of Israel’s kings. A history lesson :) The background is this: David’s son Adonijah was probably the oldest surviving son. Despite this, David had already made his intention clear that he believed it to be Yahweh’s will that Solomon should follow him on the throne.
Zahakiel: When David became so sick that he could not leave his bed, however, and it looked like he would soon pass away, Adonijah tried to get public support on his side. He did so by having Joab (the military commander) and Abiathar (one of the two high priests) recognize his sovereignty in the company of some invited, and no doubt influential, guests.
Nathan the prophet soon heard about this, however, and passed the word on to Bathsheba, Somolon’s mother. What followed was somewhat involved, but essentially David decided to anoint Solomon as king right there on the spot to end the controversy. They did this right at the palace, and made quite a bit of noise about it in their celebration… so the guests assembled at Adonijah’s feast heard the racket and soon realized what had happened.
We read, and let me know when you’re caught up: “And all the guests that were with Adonijah were afraid, and rose up, and went every man his way. And Adonijah feared because of Solomon, and arose, and went, and caught hold on the horns of the altar. And it was told Solomon, saying, ‘Behold, Adonijah feareth king Solomon; for, lo, he hath caught hold on the horns of the altar, saying, “Let king Solomon swear unto me to day that he will not slay his servant with the sword.”’
“And Solomon said, ‘If he will shew himself a worthy man, there shall not an hair of him fall to the earth: but if wickedness shall be found in him, he shall die.’ So king Solomon sent, and they brought him down from the altar. And he came and bowed himself to king Solomon: and Solomon said unto him, ‘Go to thine house.’” (1Kings 1:49-53)
Guerline: Done.
Qinael: Finished.
Crystle: Finished.
Dumah: Done.
Naraiel: Done.
Igor: Done.
Dave: Done.
Barb: Done.
Jen: Ok.
Zahakiel: Solomon showed mercy to his older brother… at least, on that occasion. It wasn’t long before Adonijah showed that he was not, in fact, “a worthy man” and he was slain. But here is another example, with a different outcome. You remember that Joab, the commander of the army, was also involved in the short-lived insurrection.
“Then tidings came to Joab, for Joab had turned after Adonijah, though he turned not after Absalom. And Joab fled unto the tabernacle of Yahweh, and caught hold on the horns of the altar. And it was told king Solomon that Joab was fled unto the tabernacle of Yahweh, ‘And, behold, he is by the altar.’ Then Solomon sent Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, saying, ‘Go, fall upon him.’
“And Benaiah came to the tabernacle of Yahweh, and said unto him, ‘Thus saith the king, “Come forth.”’ And he said, ‘Nay; but I will die here.’ And Benaiah brought the king word again, saying, ‘Thus said Joab, and thus he answered me.’
“And the king said unto him, ‘Do as he hath said, and fall upon him, and bury him; that thou mayest take away the innocent blood, which Joab shed, from me, and from the house of my father. And Yahweh shall return his blood upon his own head, who fell upon two men more righteous and better than he, and slew them with the sword, my father David not knowing thereof; to wit, Abner the son of Ner, captain of the host of Israel, and Amasa the son of Jether, captain of the host of Judah.’
“‘Their blood shall therefore return upon the head of Joab, and upon the head of his seed for ever; but upon David, and upon his seed, and upon his house, and upon his throne, shall there be peace for ever from Yahweh.’
“So Benaiah the son of Jehoiada went up, and fell upon him, and slew him: and he was buried in his own house in the wilderness.” (1Kings 2:28, 34)
Zahakiel: Okay, now take a deep breath :) And then say when you’re done.
Qinael: Finished.
Crystle: Finished.
Pastor “Chick”: OK.
Barb: Done.
Dumah: Done.
Igor: Done.
Jen: Done.
Naraiel: Done.
Guerline: Done.
Brendan: Ok.
Dave: Done.
Zahakiel: Joab was guilty of several, willful, crimes against both Yahweh and David the former king. In joining with Adonijah, he showed that he was in no way going to be more loyal to Solomon than he had been to his father, and so… the altar did not protect him from the king’s wrath.
As with the Cities of Refuge, you see, the altars are not designed to protect the willfully guilty of sin. Yahweh, in His mercy, allows a way by which sin is cleansed from His people; but His mercy does not mean that those who choose NOT to be cleansed will also be preserved.
Brendan: And it works the other way around... when people show they are not going to be loyal to Yah’s children, the Church, they show they will not be loyal to Himself, though they may profess it
Naraiel: The altar does not protect people from willful sin.
Zahakiel: That’s right (both statements).
Again, if we did not need to be cleansed, Yah would not have provided so great (and costly) a method for cleansing. If we did not need a Church, Yahweh would have said, “Go forth to your own houses, and when you get an opportunity, preach the word.”
But no, He had them gather in one another’s houses, (Acts 2:46) then when the means was available he had them build Christian Synagogues (i.e., Church buildings), (1Cor 11:20-22) and organize missionary trips under the direction of the Holy Spirit. (Acts 13:2)
Some have said, “No, the early Church did not have any set buildings.” They’re wrong about that… one example is 1Cor 11 that I cited above, wherein Paul tells them, “If you are going to come together just to have a common meal, you may as well stay in your homes and do that.” The assembly was not done in homes after a point.
Brendan: And before Christian buildings were built, they used the Jewish Synagogue, since most of the earliest Christians were Jews anyway
Zahakiel: Right.
So then, mercy provides a way, but it does not force one along that way. It says, “There is a place I have prepared for you,” (see the questions we started with) and it adds, “And here is how to get there.” It does NOT add, “And by the way, if you don’t go along the path I have given you, I will show you ‘mercy,’ and keep you safe anyway, regardless of where you spiritually wander off to.” That is indifference. Does everyone see the distinction?
Brendan: Yes.
Qinael: <nods.>
Igor: Yes.
Naraiel: Yes.
Jen: Yes.
Dave: Yes.
Barb: Yes.
Dumah: Yes.
Guerline: Yes.
Pastor “Chick”: Amen.
Crystle: Yes.
Zahakiel: All right, just a little more to go :)
Anyone, everyone, who walks that path in faith, not doubting, makes it to the House. It doesn’t matter what obstacles present themselves, what dangers or doubts tempt along the way; if one perseveres, he or she is guaranteed to make it to the Altar, and at that point it is merely to catch hold of the horns. We have that on the highest authority.
Mercy provides an altar, and a way to get there, but when we are there, then what? Altars are for sacrifice. We must sacrifice something.
In the Old Testament, we saw what those sacrifices were… but even then, before Christ came, the saints understood that it was not the animals, flour, wine and oil themselves that held the true value for Yah.
We read, “For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it; thou delightest not in burnt offering. The sacrifices of Elohim are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.” (Psa 51:16, 17)
“‘To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me?’ saith Yahweh. ‘I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats. And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you; yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood. Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil.” (Isaiah 1:11, 15, 16)
“Will Yahweh be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth Yahweh require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy Elohim?” (Micah 6:7, 8)
Micah knew what was going on. Isaiah noted that Yahweh could not accept physical sacrifices if the spirit was not right. David understood what the sacrifices to Elohim really contained. The Altars are to preserve the innocent; we must therefore be made innocent, or it does not matter where your name is signed, or what stones of witness you have built.
When we come to the Altar, we must present our sacrifice.
Pastor “Chick”: So, that which is sacrificed is the sin?
Zahakiel: Yes; and more, in fact there is a short list coming up :)
The Sacrifices of Yah… David has already told us one element of it: a broken and contrite heart. That is a spiritual sacrifice, and is eternal. The Scriptures mention a number of other sacrifices that the believer leaves at the true Altar.
Can you think of other spiritual sacrifices, and with Scripture references?
Naraiel: Our gifts, or talents.
Zahakiel: Yes, that is one. Paul calls that our “reasonable service,” when we decide to serve him.
Igor: Sacrifices of joy.
Zahakiel: Sacrifice of joy... that is Psalm 27:6
Dumah: Our bodies?
Zahakiel: Bodies is where reasonable service is listed, Rom 12:1
Brendan: Our will, in obedience... as in Samuel to Saul. (1Sam 15:22)
Naraiel: Service.
Dumah: A tenth of all we receive.
Zahakiel: Obedience, service, yes (and in tithing as an example).That is a sacrifice the Bible calls “righteousness.” And you can find that mentioned in Psalm 4:5.
Qinael: Sacrifice of praise in Jeremiah 33:11.
Zahakiel: Praise, yes.
Pastor “Chick”: “By Him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise...” (Heb 13:15)
Zahakiel: There, a second witness :)
Those are some good answers, and covers just about everything I had listed. Here is what I came up with, and you will see it repeats most of what you said.
Joy – “And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me: therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto Yah.” (Psa 27:6)
Praise – “The voice of joy, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the voice of them that shall say, ‘Praise Yahweh of Hosts: for Yahweh is good; for His mercy endureth for ever; and of them that shall bring the sacrifice of praise into the house of Yahweh. For I will cause to return the captivity of the land, as at the first, saith Yahweh.” (Jer 33:11)
Thanksgiving – “I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon the name of Yahweh.” (Psa 116:17)
Righteousness (this is the same, Biblically, as obedience) – “Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and put your trust in Yahweh.” (Psalm 4:5)
Faith – “Yea, and if I be offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I joy, and rejoice with you all.” (Phl 2:17) And note that it is the sacrifice and “service” of the saints’ faith. James talks about those who say “I have faith,” but no fruit (service) comes forth.
And finally, and most importantly, and one you all mentioned in several different aspects, we read this: “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.” (Rom 12:1)
Zahakiel: Paul says all of our beings, our bodies and our minds, are to be offered up to Yahweh. The word “reasonable” there comes from the same root in Greek from which we get the word “logic.” Yahweh wants our intelligent, logical, worship. He wants us to agree (unite) with Him in the paths of His mercy.
These are things I offer without fail every morning and evening as I pray, as I have so done for years – particularly as I pray for the Church.
The Church of Yahweh is that place wherein people may come forward and offer their sacrifices of joy, praise, thanksgiving, righteousness, their broken and contrite hearts, the faith (of Yahshua), and all of themselves: their time, talents, skills, means, to finish the work of the Gospel.
Jen: Amen.
Igor: Amen.
Guerline: Amen.
Zahakiel: Yes, there are Churches for every kind of person, including the kind of person who desires to give these things gladly into the hand of the Creator that His will may be done.
Naraiel: Amen.
Zahakiel: Now, a final note…
Some say, “Every Church teaches some good things, and some bad. We must learn to take the good refuse the evil.” We must certainly learn how to take the good and receive the evil… from the world. It is not, however, the purpose of the Creation Seventh Day Adventist Church to present some good doctrines, a nice alternative, or even “the best of the lot.”
Inspiration has told us this:
“The church cannot measure herself by the world nor by the opinion of men nor by what she once was. Her faith and her position in the world as they now are must be compared with what they would have been if her course had been continually onward and upward. The church will be weighed in the balances of the sanctuary. If her moral character and spiritual state do not correspond with the benefits and blessings God has conferred upon her, she will be found wanting. The light has been shining clear and definite upon her pathway, and the light of 1882 calls her to an account. If her talents are unimproved, if her fruit is not perfect before God, if her light has become darkness, she is indeed found wanting.” [Testimonies for the Church Volume Five, page 83, par 2]
Zahakiel: Did you catch that? “If her fruit is not PERFECT before God,” she is found wanting. What a statement!
Pastor “Chick”: A “hard saying…”
Zahakiel: Yes, and we have the evidence of it before us. There have been “Adventist” Churches that have come before us, but their fruit has not been found perfect. And now, this statement was written way-back-when. We would say that today, not only the light of 1882 calls her to an account, but also 1888, 1981, 1988, and 2006. And if you do not know what those years mean, and continue to mean, please… be diligent and study to show yourselves approved!
Dumah: Are you going to review what the dates mean now?
Guerline: We would like that too. 2006?
Zahakiel: 2006 is now :)
I won’t go over all those years at this time; the ones I listed are in our writings, and I will footnote 1882 on the transcript. [See the footnote at the end.]
Pastor “Chick”: Question… Can I offer my sacrifices of “praise,” “joy,” “faith,” etc., while not being in covenant relation with the Body? That is, before having run to the altar with my “old man” to sacrifice?
Zahakiel: Yah would say, “For what is the purpose of your sacrifices? Your hands are full of blood. Cease to do evil.” (Isaiah 1)
Qinael: Oh, may I share a verse that comes to mind for that?
Zahakiel: Go ahead.
Qinael: “Take heed to thyself that thou offer not thy burnt offerings in every place that thou seest; but in the place which Yahweh shall choose in one of thy tribes, there thou shalt offer thy burnt offerings, and there thou shalt do all that I command thee.” (Deut 12:13-14)
Zahakiel: Ah, very good verse for that.
Brendan: :)
Zahakiel: Okay, now… last time, last New Moon, there was an altar call...
I think, I pray, it has begun to have some good fruit in the hearers. But what says the Bible? “Thou shalt not delay to offer the first of thy ripe fruits.” (Exo 22:29a)
Some have said, “We must be careful to make sure every detail is right.” That may be, but please do note that the word “delay” is never used in a positive sense in the Bible. There are some who say, almost immediately, “This is the truth. Hallelu-Yah, we have found it!” They know well that souls are at stake; they are not being foolish, or impulsive; but because they are led by the Spirit, they are told that they have found the Altar. They catch hold of the horns without delay.
Guerline: Amen.
Zahakiel: How has your experience been? Is there delay? Why is there delay?
If there are doctrines to be discussed, we can discuss them, and have discussed them; but if the problem is in the “self,” then that self must simply die, and we must give the testimony that it IS dead. Do not let the flesh, or demons, convince you to take back that which is surrendered at the Altar, for this is the destruction of many. Some have said, “I am with you, I have gained the victory,” and then circumstances, or devils, have convinced them that it is not so, or the wicked spirits will take some circumstance about which the person had incomplete knowledge, and say, “Aha, you have sinned.”
But the testimony of Yahshua, “I do always those things that please my Father,” (John 8:29, Rev 12:17) counters it, if said with a right spirit.
I say, “with a right spirit,” because if a witness comes to you and says, “Brother, I believe you have made a mistake in this or that,” and you respond with, “Impossible, I do always those things that please my Father,” that’s not quite what I mean. It is pleasing to Yah that we listen when the situation warrants it, in case we have indeed erred. That is the right spirit.
Pastor “Chick”: Amen.
Zahakiel: But those who have approached the Altar, and then drawn back, dragged away by the flesh, these slide away, into lethargy, a deeper darkness than they were before, or worse still... they decide that the doctrine must be in error, because they personally failed to obtain its promises. They become enemies of the cross. (Phl 3:17-19)
We must not make “self” the judge of what is spirit, and eternally true. I speak not of intellect, but discernment. Men are smarter, in general, than dogs, but a dog can get away from a burning building faster than a man. Even the dumb animals, if their discernment is accurate, can do what must be done. How much more humans, created in the image of Elohim?
Igor: Faith first, experience follows.
Zahakiel: Right.
Guerline: Amen.
Zahakiel: Let me close, then, with this thought: Yahweh has shown us His House, and provided a way to arrive there. Furthermore, although He demands sacrifices of the things we listed above, going over that list we see that nothing is grievous to surrender for a heart that is right. Yahweh demands of us nothing but that which we either need to get rid of anyway, or that He has provided for us Himself. It has been His mercy that provided all these things, therefore let there be no more delay. There is a world that needs to know that there is an Altar of Mercy, and all who hear this message, and receive it, are given the responsibility to become messengers themselves, and move forward in the “unity of the faith.” (Eph 4:13) Let there be no more delay.
Guerline: Yes, all this is true.
Pastor “Chick”: Here is a good link, The Valley To The Mount [Video file] This will add to Brother David’s study.
Igor: Thank you.
Zahakiel: All right, then. Are there any questions before we close?
Then pastor, can you please offer a closing prayer?
Pastor “Chick”: Dear Father,
Thank you for the truth about “mercy” – Divine mercy. Thank you for the “altar of safety,” where mercy and justice meet together.
May all of us find our places in your House, that spiritual House, being built up with “living stones.”
Dismiss us from this meeting with your love and care, until we meet again (at your calling)... In the name of YAHshua, and for His sake alone...
Amen.
Zahakiel: Amen :)
Barb: Amen.
Qinael: Amen.
Jen: AMEN.
Naraiel: Amen.
Crystle: Amen.
Dave: Amen.
Brendan: Amen.
Igor: Amen.
Guerline: Amen.
Dumah: Amen.
Footnote: 1882 was the time of the writing of that statement by Mrs. White. It was also, among other things, the year in which E.J. Waggoner reported a vision of seeing Christ crucified:
“Christ is primarily the Word of God, the expression of God’s thought; and the Scriptures are the Word of God simply because they reveal Christ. It was with this belief that I began my real study of the Bible, thirty-four years ago (1882). At that time Christ was set forth before my eyes ‘evidently crucified’ before me. I was sitting a little apart from the body of the congregation in the large tent at a camp meeting in Healdsburg, one gloomy Sabbath afternoon. I have no idea what was the subject of the discourse. Not a word nor a text have I ever known. All that has remained with me was what I saw.
“Suddenly a light shone round me, and the tent was, for me, far more brilliantly lighted than if the noon-day sun had been shining, and I saw Christ hanging on the cross, crucified for me. In that moment I had my first positive knowledge, which came like an overwhelming flood, that God loved me, and that Christ died for me. God and I were the only beings I was conscious of in the universe. I knew then, by actual sight, that God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself: I was the whole world with all its sin. I am sure that Paul’s experience on the way to Damascus was no more real than mine… I resolved at once that I would study the Bible in the light of that revelation, in order that I might help others to see the same truth. I have always believed that every part of the Bible must set forth, with more or less vividness, that glorious revelation.” [from The Last Confession of Faith, E.J. Waggoner, emphases his]
Waggoner became one of the two pastors who presented the “Righteousness by Faith” doctrine in the 1888 General Conference meeting, which doctrine we have called simply, “The Victory.”
