New
Moon Meeting: October 2008, 3:11 EST
Micah: A CSDA Commentary (Part 1)
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Contents |
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1. Introduction |
Introduction
Zahakiel: Well, we should begin. Bro. Peter, can you offer the
prayer?
Happy Rock: Dear Father,
As we
come today to hear your word once more by you servant, may we allow you spirit
to work upon our hearts that we can receive the blessing you have in store for
us all as we read you words we pray in the name of your son Yahshua we pray,
amen.
Qinael: Amen.
Giselle: Amen.
Crystle: Amen.
Guerline: Amen.
Zahakiel: Amen.
Zahakiel: Before we begin the study, I would like to share
something. I received a phone call from
Sis. Ye in Korea earlier today. She testifies that things are going very
well... much better than she expected. She has found several people who have
accepted what she has shared so far with eagerness. Some, she says, are
planning to put aside tithes and offerings for the “Korean work” already. So
she is very excited about that, and we share her joy in that initial
development.
Qinael: Wow.
Crystle: Praise Yah!
Giselle: Amen.
Guerline: Amen.
Daphna: That is wonderful!
Giselle: That’s exciting!
Zahakiel: So please keep her in your prayers.
Happy Rock: Let Yah’s will be done.
Amen.
Zahakiel: Also, Sister Giselle, you have something to say also about
your internet work?
Giselle: Well, I found another soul, from Chile. He is a
non-denominational Christian that will start keeping the Sabbath and I just
mentioned that to Him yesterday. I still have a lot of information to share
with him. But he has already studied
the prophetic book from Daniel, and he has got good conclusions and he seems
very honest in his efforts helping people slave of drugs. He told me to continue
studying this Wednesday. Also, pray for
him.
Zahakiel: Ok, thank you for telling us that. We will certainly keep
that in prayer as well.
Crystle: That is a blessing too:-)
Zahakiel: All right, so let’s begin the study for this month.
During
the recent Feast of Tabernacles in TN, one of the things I happened to page
through when going over a question in one of our studies was the Book of
Micah. As I read through it, I was
amazed at how applicable some of the passages were to our current circumstances.
Much the
same thing happened the first time I read through Jeremiah 3 a number of years
ago, and an article, “A Prophecy Against the General Conference of Seventh-Day
Adventists” came out of that. As I read
through several chapters of Micah, I gave some thought about how to present the
information I was seeing to the Church.
A sermon seemed to be a good idea, but it would take more than one part,
and I was already working on the CSDA Evangelism series, so I decided to leave
it for the New Moon… it has only a couple days after my last radio sermon
anyway.
So, the
premise of this month’s study is very simple, we’re going to go over the first
few chapters of Micah; I’ll quote some key passages, and look at their modern
application.
Zahakiel: In Chapter 1, Micah
introduces himself and his mission, to speak to the leaders of Samaria in
Northern Israel, and Judah in the south.
There are serious issues with both, for we read: “For, behold, Yahweh cometh forth out of His place, and will
come down, and tread upon the high places of the earth. And the mountains shall
be molten under Him, and the valleys shall be cleft, as wax before the fire,
and as the waters that are poured down a steep place. For the transgression of
Jacob is all this, and for the sins of the house of Israel. What is the transgression
of Jacob? Is it not Samaria? And what are the high places of Judah? are they
not Jerusalem?” (Mic 1:3-5)
As the
next verses, such as 7, show, the problem is largely due to idolatry. This is often a problem for people who are
placed in positions of authority.
Unholy influences are allowed to creep up, until eventually we find
situations like this: “And Jeroboam ordained a
feast in the eighth month, on the fifteenth day of the month, like unto the
feast that is in Judah, and he offered upon the altar. So did he in Bethel,
sacrificing unto the calves that he had made; and he placed in Bethel the
priests of the high places which he had made.”
(1Kings 12:32)
Micah
1:9 reads, “For her wound is incurable; for it
is come unto Judah; he is come unto the gate of my people, even to Jerusalem.” From this we see
that there is actually a parallel to the example I gave above with
Jeroboam. The wound is much more
serious, even “incurable” when it reaches the highest levels of a society or
organization. One of the common
reactions we get when Seventh-day Adventists hear about the Trademark law that
their leaders have enacted on their behalf, is, “Well, those are only the
leaders. God will remove them in His own time.” This is that spiritual lethargy, this insensitivity to the good
of others that goes on while they await this expected cleansing, that Yahweh
has called “the worst kind of hostility” in the writings of Ellen White.
The rest
of the first chapter explains that even weeping would be wasted, as the
judgment has been set, and those who are disobedient will go into captivity.
Zahakiel: Chapter two takes the
warnings to an individual level, and this is where I really began to notice
some striking similarities with our current state of affairs: “Woe to them that devise iniquity, and work evil upon their
beds! When the morning is light, they practice it, because it is in the power
of their hand. And they covet fields, and take them by violence; and houses,
and take them away; so they oppress a man and his house, even a man and his
heritage.” (Mic 2:1, 2)
This is
the way that evil works; it is devised at night, when those who scheme are “upon
their beds,” and then, when the act is fully formed, the effects are seen in
the daytime. In the case of the things
we as a movement protest, it is clearly the same principle being followed. Some, when looking at our situation, may
(and often do) say, “Why don’t you just give up the name Seventh-day Adventist,
and then the Conference will not threaten you.” We’ve looked at a number of reasons in previous studies why we
cannot do this in good conscience and continue to claim the faith we have
received from Yahweh. There are matters
of principle involved, matters of obedience, and matters of preserving a
particular testimony – one that does not subject itself to the desires of evil
or misguided men.
But what
Micah does is it allows us to deal with another angle as well. It points out that the reason why those who
take away fields and houses when they receive the power to do so is because of
covetousness. One of the defenses of
the Conference we sometimes hear is that the men in charge, who made the
decisions in secret, nevertheless did so for “a good cause,” and therefore the
charge of covetousness should not be applied to them, or this passage from
Micah 2.
But is
that really the case? It may be that
the General Conference is not explicitly doing this for “money,” but they are
certainly not concerned about the reputation of the SDA Church in their
actions, although the claim is to preserve the “name” of the Bride of
Christ. Almost everyone with whom we
speak (except for Seventh-day Adventists), especially if they know the
Scriptures, immediately realize what an awful thing it is for Christians
to be taken to court for their convictions.
Those who do not pretend it is anything else than this are genuinely
surprised to hear of Churches bringing lawsuits against others, for it is a
rejection of the things this country once held dear, even if the matter is
disguised in terms more related to businesses than faith.
The
Conference is coveting something, even if the men themselves do not
understand why they are doing what they are doing. In truth, it is not the men of the Conference, even the ones who
made the decision to bring suit against us, who are our enemies. At least some of them may genuinely be so
self-deceived as to believe they are doing God a favor in their actions. The real enemy is the spirit of force that
motivates the actions, and the accuser of the brethren that has always stood
behind these matters. It is he who
covets the destruction of the saints, and it is he who inspires men to seek
power to bend others to their will. It is he also who supplies the excuses.
Zahakiel: I believe I mentioned
this in my sermon a couple days ago, but it certainly bears repeating. We reading the Gospels, “And one of them,
named Caiaphas, being the high priest that same year, said unto them, ‘Ye know nothing at all, nor consider that it is expedient
for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation
perish not.’” (John 11:49, 50) John repeats this later on, reminding his
readers of the statement, “Now Caiaphas was he,
which gave counsel to the Jews, that it was expedient that one man should die
for the people.” (John 18:14) And isn’t this the same things we are
hearing two thousand years later? “You
don’t know anything at all. This is a
business matter, not a religious one.
It’s necessary to weed out the dissenters for the good of the Church.” It’s the same spirit, using the same words.
As the
chapter continues, rebuking those described above, the prophet speaks in the
name of Yahweh and says, “O thou that art named
the house of Jacob, is the spirit of Yahweh straitened [shortened]? Are these
His doings? Do not my words do good to him that walketh uprightly? Even of late
my people is risen up as an enemy: ye pull off the robe with the garment from
them that pass by securely as men averse from war.” (Mic 2:7, 8)
The
connections here should be fairly obvious, and hopefully you all see by now why
these chapters of Micah leapt out at me.
Is the Spirit of Yahweh shortened, so that He cannot save men with His
own power? Is it the work of Heaven
that worldly systems and mechanisms should be summoned up to defend Christ’s
bride? A human husband would be ashamed
if his wife, upon getting into some difficulty, should call another to her
assistance while He stands by… perfectly willing and able to help.
And it
continues by saying that Yah’s own people have become an enemy, to strip away
even the clothing of the needy.
“The women
of my people have ye cast out from their pleasant houses; from their children
have ye taken away my glory for ever. Arise ye, and depart; for this is not your
rest: because it is polluted, it shall destroy you, even with a sore
destruction.” (Mic 2:9, 10)
Zahakiel: This is a dramatic
passage. The women are taken away from
their homes because of the persecution, and the children are inconvenienced
terribly. And then Yah says to those
who cause such things, “This is not your rest.” We read in Revelation the effects of receiving the Mark of The
Beast: “And the smoke of their torment ascendeth
up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the
beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.” (Rev 14:11)
Notice,
how… it is not they who are attacked by the beast that have no rest. It is not those who suffer for
righteousness, but it is those who worship – who agree with, who delight in –
the beast that have no rest. The
Sabbath rest, that spiritual state of perfect peace that does not depend upon
circumstances, is the condition of all the truly converted. As they follow the Lamb, they are led to
still waters, as that famous Psalm says.
But those who reject Yahweh’s principles cannot know this rest,
regardless of whether or not they know and acknowledge the day that Yahweh
sanctified for His purposes.
“If a man
walking in the spirit and falsehood do lie, saying, ‘I will prophesy unto thee
of wine and of strong drink; he shall even be the prophet of this people.’” (Mic 2:11) This
is undoubtedly yet another bit of evidence indicating that Micah is seeing, at
least on some level, the very last days. We read, “For when they shall say, ‘Peace and safety,’ then sudden
destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they
shall not escape.” (1Th 5:3) And again, “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.” (2Th 4:3, 4)
That
needs very little commentary from me.
Are
there any questions about the first two chapters?
Guerline: No.
Crystle: None here.
Happy
Rock: No.
Giselle: No.
Qinael: Another indication
I’m seeing in that last verse is that they prophesy about wine and strong
drink, coupled with the “wine of Babylon.”
Zahakiel: Ah, yes... good. There
is another parallel.
Zahakiel: The first part of
Chapter 3 begins this way: “And I said, ‘Hear, I
pray you, O heads of Jacob, and ye princes of the house of Israel; Is it not
for you to know judgment? Who hate the good, and love the evil; who pluck off
their skin from off them, and their flesh from off their bones; who also eat
the flesh of my people, and flay their skin from off them; and they break their
bones, and chop them in pieces, as for the pot, and as flesh within the
caldron.’ Then shall they cry unto Yahweh, but He will not hear them: He will
even hide His face from them at that time, as they have behaved themselves ill
in their doings.” (Micah 3:1-4)
This
passage brings two things to mind, one is a Bible verse and the other an Ellen
White quote. The Bible verse is
connected to the question, “Is it not for you to know judgment?” Since we are talking about Micah in
connection with the Trademark law, what passage of the New Testament asks
exactly the same question?
Qinael: 1 Corinthians 6 - “Is
there not a wise man among you? No, not one that can judge...?”
Zahakiel: Right:) The entire
passage being…
“Dare any
of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unjust, and not
before the saints? Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? And if
the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest
matters? Know ye not that we shall judge angels? How much more things that
pertain to this life? If then ye have judgments of things pertaining to this
life, set them to judge who are least esteemed in the church. I speak to your
shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you? No, not one that shall
be able to judge between his brethren? But brother goeth to law with brother,
and that before the unbelievers.
“Now
therefore there is utterly a fault among you, because ye go to law one with
another. Why do ye not rather take wrong? why do ye not rather suffer
yourselves to be defrauded? Nay, ye do wrong, and defraud, and that your
brethren.” (1Cor 6:1-8)
Some
have said that the CSDA Church, like the Congregational Church in Hawaii, and
the Eternal Gospel Church in Miami (when these were faithful) will simply get
what it deserves for stealing the name. We point out the absurdity of that
idea, however, as we believe that it is Yahweh who freely gave the name to His
people, all His people… therefore we cannot steal something that is
already ours. But even if it were true,
even if the name “Seventh-day Adventist” was a man-made title that was subject
to intellectual property laws, and therefore to theft, the Scriptures say that
even then, lawsuits are not the Christian action. It is bad enough when a misguided person goes that route, but it
is a disaster of cosmic roportions, when those who were supposed to be the
promoters of the Gospel so utterly reject its most basic principles. The damage that this has caused to thousands
and millions of souls is simply impossible to calculate.
The
second thing that comes to mind, the Ellen White quote, springs forth from the
statement that, “then shall they cry unto Yahweh, but He will not hear them.” Ellen White said exactly the same thing…
does anyone remember the context?
Qinael: She said that God
will not hear the prayers of men who do exactly what God has told them not to
do - crucifying Christ afresh by taking their brethren to court.
Zahakiel: That’s right, it was
about lawsuits.
This is
a longish passage; let me know when you have finished reading it: “When troubles arise in the church we should
not go for help to lawyers not of our faith. God does not desire us to open
church difficulties before those who do not fear Him. He would not have us
depend for help on those who do not obey His requirements. Those who trust in
such counselors show that they have not faith in God. By their lack of faith
the Lord is greatly dishonored, and their course works great injury to
themselves. In appealing to unbelievers to settle difficulties in the church
they are biting and devouring one another, to be ‘consumed one of another’
(Gal. 5:15). These men cast aside the counsel God has given, and do the very
things He has bidden them not to do. They show that they have chosen the world
as their judge, and in heaven their names are registered as one with
unbelievers. Christ is crucified afresh, and put to open shame. Let these men
know that God does not hear their prayers.” [Selected Messages Book 3,
page 299]
Qinael: Finished.
Giselle: Finished.
Crystle: Finished.
Guerline: Finished.
Zahakiel: Does anyone have any
doubts that the warnings of the Book of Micah apply directly to our persecutors
in these last days? Does anyone have any doubts that the threats of Yahweh will
be fulfilled in terrible exactness to those who disregard so clear a set of
rebukes? If not, then should it not be
our duty to tell people the danger they are in? The CSDA Church has been doing so, as a voice crying in the
wilderness. But there is always more
work to do in this vineyard. Let us
pray for more workers, for the harvest is ripe; and let us be more effective
workers ourselves.
Continuing:
“Then shall the seers be ashamed, and the
diviners confounded; yea, they shall all cover their lips, for there is no
answer of God. But truly I am full of power by the spirit of Yahweh, and of
judgment, and of might, to declare unto Jacob his transgression, and to Israel
his sin.” (Mic 3:7, 8)
Here we
see a sharp distinction. Those whose prayers go unanswered have no answers to give
to others. We find that this is true on
both a spiritual as well as a literal level.
Spiritually, of course, without the true rest that Yahshua is giving to
His people, the true Sabbath cannot be taught.
It may be a shocking statement to some, but it is nevertheless a true
one… the mainstream Seventh-day Adventist Church is no longer a Sabbathkeeping
organization. They may keep Saturdays
as a day free of labor and financial transactions, and some of the people
within it may indeed experience the presence of Yahweh during the sacred hours…
but as a Church, as a people, they have received no rest, and therefore cannot
offer it to others.
On the
other hand, the people of Yahweh are filled with boldness. Some have said, even some connected with us
for a time, that we speak too boldly.
We declare ourselves and speak of judgment and truth, but not all have
ears that can endure the straight testimony, the clear witness of the Spirit.
The
chapter ends with just such a straight testimony: “The heads thereof judge for reward, and the priests thereof
teach for hire, and the prophets thereof divine for money: yet will they lean
upon Yahweh, and say, ‘Is not Yahweh among us? None evil can come upon us.’ Therefore shall Zion for your sake be plowed
as a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps, and the mountain of the house as
the high places of the forest.” (Mic 3:11,
12)
Zahakiel: This is what we hear, to
the very letter, among SDAs who believe that Yahweh is still with that fallen
Body. “No evil shall befall us,” “It
cannot happen to my Church,” “Yahweh is with us, and not with you.” Well, Yahweh is with those who keep His
commandments, and who love their neighbors as themselves. It may not immediately seem to be the “loving”
thing to rebuke others about their Church and their ways of communicating with
the Creator. In light of the fact that “Jerusalem
shall become heaps,” however, it quickly becomes apparent that warning others
of this destruction to come is the most caring thing we can possibly do, and it
is worth any sacrifice to do it.
Are
there any questions about Chapter 3?
Qinael: No.
Happy
Rock: No.
Giselle: No
Crystle: No
Guerline: No.
Zahakiel: Ok, we still have
several more chapters to go, and we have been online more than an hour, so we
will do Chapter 4 now, and then leave the rest of Micah for next month.
Zahakiel: Chapter 4 switches pace,
and speaks of those who remain faithful, despite the efforts of those who are
warned in previous passages to expect a reward of destruction for their
application of unjust means and for their resorting to force.
After
speaking for a time about the glories to come, and the promises of glory and
protection to Yahweh’s people, verse 7 begins to describe this Remnant of the
faithful: “And I will make her that halted a
remnant, and her that was cast far off a strong nation, and Yahweh shall reign
over them in mount Zion from henceforth, even for ever.” (Mic 4:7) While
this will be fulfilled in a visible way upon the return of Christ, it is
nevertheless a present reality, as may be seen from the phrase that Yah “shall
reign over them in mount Zion.” For
those of us who are born again, the New Testament tells us, “But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the
living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels.” (Heb 12:22)
Chapter
four continues with a warning against the nation going “into Babylon,” with
verses such as 10 saying, “Be in pain, and
labour to bring forth, O daughter of Zion, like a woman in travail: for now
shalt thou go forth out of the city, and thou shalt dwell in the field, and
thou shalt go even to Babylon; there shalt thou be delivered; there Yahweh
shall redeem thee from the hand of thine enemies.”
Now it
is interesting to note the different ways in which the term “Babylon” is used
in Biblical writings. It is obviously
and most literally a country that was hostile to the freedom (at least the
religious freedom) of Israel. But in
symbolic prophecy, it represents more.
We read, “And there followed another
angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made
all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.” (Rev 14:8)
Zahakiel: Now let’s think about that
for a moment. The word “Babylon” itself
only appears a few times in the New Testament.
Its characteristics have to be understood from its Old Testament use,
because what it means under the New Covenant is not explicitly stated, and from
context. In Revelation 14 we see a
declaration made against a people (Seventh-day Adventists rightly understand
this to be corrupt Churches) that “Babylon has fallen.” Now, if this prophetic interpretation is
correct, we can see that this passage in Revelation 14 does not say, “The
Churches have become Babylon,” or “The Churches go into Babylon.” Rather, it says Babylon has fallen. This means that they have been Babylon, and
have been considered so, for some time before their fall. For some time before the actual punishment
is handed out, the Churches are considered Babylonian.
In Micah’s
prophecy, Babylon is a punishment for idolatry and impurity. In the New Testament, we see a more
spiritual interpretation; Babylon is the condition of idolatry and impurity
that leads to punishment. In the Old
Testament, basically, we see Babylon as the effect. In the New we see Babylon as the cause. Does everyone understand
what I mean by that?
So the
prophecy of Micah 4 applies to us in this way… in the letter, Micah is warning
the Nation of Israel that it will go into Babylon as a punishment, while in the
Spirit, we are warning religious organizations that due to their errors and
sins, they are already Babylon; but now they are fallen, and the warning to “come
out of her,” for Yah’s people goes forth.
Daphna: Can you explain in little
more detail about it being an effect in one way and a cause in another way.
Zahakiel: Sure, I can put it this
way… in the Old Testament, “Babylon” literally meant Babylon, the nation that
was hostile to Israel. Israel was put into captivity by Babylon as a punishment
for idolatry. In the New Testament, “Babylon” refers not to the nation, but to
a spiritual condition.
People
go into “bondage” spiritually before they are punished. So we see a more
clear view of it when we look at it spiritually. Babylon, the condition, is the
cause of punishment, but Babylon, the nation, was the actual punishment for
Israel before Christ’s age.
Does
that clarify it a little?
Daphna: Will reread it again and
go over it again later. So you are saying... one is the cause and one is the
effect, right?
Zahakiel: Yes:)
Daphna: Okay .... Thanks.
Zahakiel: Are there any other
questions before we close?
Happy
Rock: No.
Giselle: No.
Crystle: No.
Guerline: No.
Zahakiel: Ok. Bro. Luke, will you
offer the closing prayer?
Qinael: Our holy and
loving Father,
We
thank you for the hidden gems of truth that you have scattered throughout your
word for us to find. We are blessed to
have so many and so clear examples before us, of both the way we are to walk
in, and the way we are to not.
We
are in great sorrow for those who have not seen or heeded such instructions,
and those deceived; and we know that this is but a fraction of your own sorrow
for their souls, and springing forth from it.
We
pray for zeal, for wisdom, to warn those who are in danger of your wrath for
their own actions, and those of their leaders who they have chosen to follow.
We
thank you, knowing that you have heard this request, and honor it upon the mere
faithful acceptance of the believer. In Yahshua’s name we pray, amen.
Guerline: Amen.
Zahakiel: Amen.
Crystle: Amen
Happy
Rock: Amen.
