|
People of The Living God |
|
February 2024
WATCHMEN ON THE WALLS
MEGA CHURCH AND THE GOSPEL
Alfred King
It is often assumed that modern Pentecostalism began in 1906 at what is called “The Azusa Street Revival” in Los Angeles, CA. The revival was led by William J. Seymour, a former student at “Apostolic Faith,” a Bible school established by Charles Fox Parham. Fox was a Holiness teacher at the school where it was claimed that a student had two years earlier spoken in tongues. This claim encouraged Seymour to seek this experience himself.
While William Seymour did not receive tongues at “Apostolic Faith” he moved to Los Angeles with the hopes of being a part of the ministry of Julia Hutchens, also a Holiness preacher. Once Seymour arrived in Los Angeles, Hutchens found fault with his teaching on tongues and Seymour was forbidden from preaching or teaching in her church.
William found housing with Richard Asberry on Bonnie Bay Street. It was here that Seymour and several other men received what is called today, “The Baptism of the Holy Spirit,” for after several weeks of fasting and prayer they all spoke with tongues. Word of this phenomenon quickly spread and people came to hear preaching on the new-found experience. Seymour acquired an unoccupied church on Azusa Street where, over the next two or three years, many attendees received the experience of tongues. The events and experiences that occurred at Azusa Street were more contagious than a disease, for it spread like wildfire across the states and even to other nations around the world.
While many embraced this new spiritual experience as the return of the outpouring that occurred on the Day of Pentecost recorded in Acts two, there were others who mocked and criticized the emotionalism, the shouting, trances and strange dancing. It seemed like a new Christianity was born, one which has been embraced by millions since 1906. Over the years the number of those experiencing or desiring to experience tongues has grown to form the present day megachurches. In a strange turn of events William Seymour’s mentor, Charles Durham, was a major critic of the antics of the Azusa Street Revival claiming that it was mere emotionalism, a church where Seymour was unable to keep order in his services. *
Pelham’s account of the Azusa church: “I hurried to Los Angeles, and to my utter surprise and astonishment I found conditions even worse than I had anticipated … manifestation of the flesh, spiritualistic controls, saw people practicing hypnotism at the altar over candidates seeking baptism though many were receiving the real baptism of the Holy Ghost.” *
Pelham decided to open a church close to Azusa Street, and he comments on some of the events that took place there: “Great numbers were saved, marvelous healing took place, and between two and three hundred who had been possessed of awful fits and spasms and controls in the Azusa Street work were delivered, and received the real Pentecost teachings and spake with other tongues. … Let me speak plainly with regard to the works as I have found here. I found hypnotic influences, familiar-spirit influences, spiritualistic influences, mesomeric influences, and all kinds of spells, spasms, falling in trances, etc.” *
Pelham goes on to instruct his hearers that the above list never is the means by which the Baptism of the Holy Spirit is produced. “The Holy Ghost does nothing that is unnatural or unseemingly, and any strained exertion of the body, mind or voice is not the work of the Holy Spirit, but of some familiar spirit or other influence. The Holy Spirit never leads us beyond the point of self-control ...” *
While People of the Living God does not stand in agreement with everything that Charles Pelham taught, he did possess some understanding of how the Holy Spirit works and what one should expect in the genuine baptism of the Holy Spirit.
The Explosion Of Megachurches
A megachurch is a church whose attendance is at least 2000 each week. In 1970 there were ten megachurches in America. By 1990 there were 350 while, today, there are more than 1600. **
Over the centuries there have been churches that had thousands of members, these were for the most part Catholic. This is partially because the Roman Catholic Church was the dominant religion in Europe and, in many cases, any thought outside of Catholicism was forbidden. If one refuted the teachings of the Pope and the Catholic hierarchy, they were labeled “heretics” and, if caught, suffered persecution, imprisonment, or death. The “Protestant Reformation” of the 16th century began to loosen the dominion the Catholic Church had over the populous of Europe and multitudes broke away from the dominion and tyranny of Catholicism.
The first Protestant megachurch (not a Pentecostal church) was founded in London by Charles Spurgeon and seated 6,000. It opened in 1861 and, over a hundred years later, many of Charles Spurgeon’s sermons are still available for reading today.
The first megachurch in the U.S. was The Angelus Temple in Los Angeles which seated 5,300 people. Its pastor and founder was Aimee Semple McPherson. It opened on January 1, 1923. McPherson was noted for her theatrics which highlighted her services, theatrics which have become common in today’s megachurches. Although it is said that many miracles and healings took place in The Angelus Temple and many would swear that Aimee’s miracles were genuine, still others would just as adamantly refute such views, claiming it was all theatrics and deception.
Pentecostalism continued to grow over the next few decades and in the forties and fifties, two new movements became popular among many Pentecostals. They were, “The Manifested Sons” and “The Latter Rain.” It was heralded as a new-found truth and it became the battle cry for the church for those who desired a deeper spiritual existence, a state necessary for preparation in the latter days. Since those early days of Pentecostalism and the entrance of the Charismatic Movements, there are several more terms that have emerged that promote the same idea as those mentioned above. A few are: “Joel’s Army,” “Dominion Theology,” and “Kingdom Now.” These titles are usually connected with the Prosperity, Health and Wealth Doctrines whose teachings are those that most megachurches preach and promote.
Faith is the primary theme of these teachings and is the foundation upon which they rest. While biblical faith is extremely important and essential, the faith that accompanies most of the modern megachurch pastors is not the faith of the Bible. The faith most often taught is seed faith which serves to make the church wealthy while robbing its members of hard-earned funds. However, the reprehensible acts that these pastors engage in: making themselves wealthy, purchasing prime real estate, and jets to fly to their engagements are not the greatest travesty of these churches. The real tragedy is that so many souls are being deceived and will stand shocked in the days ahead and, most importantly, when they stand before the Great White Throne of Judgment. It is at that throne these false pastors and teachers will be judged with the greatest of condemnation. Jesus said, “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation” (Matt. 23:14). The scribes and Pharisees were the teachers and pastors in Jesus’ day, and He seriously condemns their false teachings. The false pastors and teachers of this day will be in the same category as those of Jesus’ day when Jesus comes and sits upon His throne of Judgment. Jesus says to these, “Woe!”
The Falling Away
In II Thess. 2:3, Paul writes, “Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition.” What does Paul mean by a falling away? This is an event of the latter days, yet he says that the return of the Lord will not come until this “falling away” takes place. The present movement of megachurches is setting the stage for this falling away. This movement is based upon emotions, supernatural manifestation, and deceit, and many of those who flock to these churches are not looking to hear messages about dying daily or taking up one’s cross and following Jesus. Yet this is the message Jesus clearly taught. Consider a few verses from Luke 14:26-35 – “If any man come to me, and hate not (love less) his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. (Verses 28-32 tell us to count the cost – there is a cost involved in one’s walk with God) Verse 33: So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple. Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be seasoned? It is neither fit for the land, nor yet for the dunghill; but men cast it out. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.” (emphasis mine)
Jesus’ words recorded in Luke refute most of the doctrines that are being taught by most megachurches. When do you hear about bearing one’s personal cross today? Where do we find a message about denying oneself? Where is the message of “He must increase but I must decrease”? How does Paul’s message find harmony in today’s gospel when he says, “I have suffered the loss of all things …”? Paul, as did Jesus, lived a life of poverty, privation, rejection and, finally, death because of the true Gospel. Where was their prime real estate, their private jets, and what was their bank account? Where were their megachurches built? Jeremiah prophesies that the Gospel would attract one of a city and two of a family (Jer. 3:13). So much for megachurches. Jesus stated in the Sermon on the Mount, “Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” (Matt. 7:14)
Could megachurches be a big part of the falling away of which the Apostle Paul refers? Do megachurches have anything to do with the time period we are living in?
The Purpose Of Self Denial
It is sad to see, even among many church members, the false impressions regarding self-denial, a truth that is not only misunderstood but most often mistaught. The common teaching is we are all under grace and God’s law is not too demanding. On the opposite side of the coin, the common teaching is that somehow we must in our own strength put to death the carnal man, the old Adamic nature. The premise of this teaching is that we must earn our way to heaven. Both of these are false. No one can earn his way or make himself perfect, without fault, and become like Jesus Christ. Yet this is the call. This may sound contradictory but it’s not. We are justified and cleansed through the blood of Jesus and we are cleansed by His blood. Jesus paid our debt and His blood is sufficient to totally cleanse us and make us pure. This is how God looks at believers. One may ask: “What part does self-denial play in this relationship with God?” To become holy and Christ-like in reality means that the life of Jesus must be created in the believer. This revolves around one’s will. The believer must surrender his will to the will of God just as Jesus did. When Jesus was in the garden praying, He told His Father, “… not my will but thine be done.” He shows in this statement that His will was not to go to the cross. He was willing but this is not what He desired, for everything in His being recoiled from this death He was called to enter into. Yet, “not my will.”
This is where our cross comes in. As we submit our will to God’s, the Holy Spirit which has been sent comes forth working in our behalf to accomplish what only He can do. We cannot kill or crucify ourselves; it is something God must do, but we must surrender to Him and allow Him to change us. It is God who works in us to create Christ-likeness. Our part is to surrender to His will. This in a nutshell is obedience to the word and commands of God: Simple but difficult.
What is most often not realized in the call to take up one’s cross is that the end result of such an action brings the greatest rewards; more than anything or everything the megachurch pastors promise. When one reaches total self-denial, he enters into a truly heavenly state. It is here in this state of total surrender and perfect obedience that there are glories untold and blessings beyond anything in this world. It is a heavenly state of being. It is a place of perfect peace, unspeakable joy, and a love so divine that it transcends any and all love ever experienced in this life. When Jesus called His people to self-denial, He called them to a place of blessings the world cannot give nor even come close to comprehending. Jesus’ call is given because He loves His people and desires to bless them with His constant presence, not just a presence obtained by faith but a presence constant, real, and where glorious victory is experienced in every part of one’s life. This place is where true healing and miracles are constantly present and real.
Today, healings and miracles are manifest now and then, but when total surrender comes, the things we so desire today will become our daily experience.
The modern-day megachurch does not teach the Full Gospel despite their claims; they are teaching carnal blessings that entice those whose god is more self than the true and living God and His Son Jesus Christ. The Gospel includes self-denial.
Every commandment God gave, He gave because He loves us and He knows what will bring us treasures from heaven’s storehouse. What a great blessing it is that there will be some who will enter in and will experience all these promised blessings. May it come soon.
* “The Life of Charles Fox Parham” by Mrs. C. Parham – A Revival Library Publication 2015
** “Hartford Institute for Religious Research Data”
TO GOD BE THE GLORY
Alda Scullin
Almighty God, our heavenly Father and ruler of the universe, “Who is like unto Thee, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like Thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders? For Thou, Lord, art high above all the earth: Thou art exalted far above all gods. Among the gods there is none like unto Thee, O Lord: neither are there any works like unto Thy works. For the Lord is great, and greatly to be praised and He is to be feared above all gods.” We ask as the Psalmist did, “What is man that Thou art mindful of him and the son of man that Thou visitest him?” (Ex. 15:11; Psalm 97:9; Psalm 86:8; Psalm 96:4; Psalm 8:4)
Only one so great as Thou art could design so intricate, yet so simple a plan as that which is being enacted upon this globe spinning through space. Because of rebellion in heaven and the consequent fall of myriads of angelic beings who were cast down into the earth, You purposed to have a divine family; a family drawn from created beings of free moral agency who would choose to love and serve a God they could not see. The rebellious forces of evil set themselves in array to attempt to thwart Your divine purpose.
They will, of course, not succeed. In the marvelous book containing Your words, it is written of Lucifer, “Thou shalt…be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit” (Isa. 14:15).
It was Your love that generated so magnificent a plan which You then entrusted to Your Son to carry out. According to Your word through John, Your Son, Jesus created all things that were created (John 1:3). The planet earth was brought into being and from its dust, You proposed “Let us make man in our own image, after our likeness” (Gen. 1:26). Truly we are “Fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:14).
Man was created and set in a beautiful garden, in a wonderful spiritual state where he could walk and talk with Your Son, Jesus. He was given dominion over every other living creature on earth. In spite of all You blessed him with, You knew he would be influenced by the “father of lies” to dishonor You through unbelief and disobedience to Your command which was given for his protection. Adam’s defection did not come as a surprise to You. We know this from the study of the scriptures that You so carefully preserved for us through all the ages of earth’s history. Before the earth was created, You had already looked down through the corridors of time and previewed all that would eventually happen. You knew, before the world was, who would choose to walk according to Your will and who would not. You “know the end from the beginning” (Isa. 46:10). Yet this foreknowledge was not allowed to interfere with divine love, mercy and justice being manifested to all mankind; the rain falls on the just and the unjust (Matt. 5:45). You knew that most men would follow in the footsteps of the first man, believing the lies of hell that appeal to the lusts of the flesh and that therefore they would have to pay the price of eternal damnation unless they could somehow be redeemed from the natural result of sin, which is death. In Your divine wisdom and incomprehensible love, the crucifixion of Your only begotten Son, the creator, was planned and thus as Paul wrote to Titus, we too, have “Hope of life eternal, which God that cannot lie, promised before the world began” (Titus 1:2).
It seems, from the record, that few men ever have even partially realized the honor and blessings of being created. You promised to set on high those who would set their love upon You (Psalm 91:1). There is no other created being in the universe with so high a calling as a human being, yet most seem not to have an inkling of the reason for their existence.
We thank and praise You with our whole heart, Lord, for the marvelous truths of Your word that liberate us from the chains that bind men who sit in darkness. Anoint, dear Father, our efforts to take the light to those in the gross darkness of which Your prophet spoke (Isa. 60:2).
Give us, we pray, divine strength and wisdom, Lord, to fulfill the calls we see in the word to repair the breaches, cast up the highway and to gather out the stones. It is evident, Father, that the way of holiness has been littered with Pharisaical doctrines and traditions of men. May we have the wisdom and leading of the Holy Spirit to gather out these stones so that the lame may walk without stumbling. May our hearts, like Thine, be filled with love and compassion to bear these burdens.
With longing we desire to be among those to be used to Your glory in bringing Your purpose to fruition; to be a part of the church through whom You are demonstrating Your manifold wisdom to every being in the universe, whether they be men of this world, angels in the balconies of heaven, or devils in hell. Because of Your glorious Son, it is possible for our desire to become reality. Thank You, Father, for including us in Your “eternal purpose.” Praise you, Lord Jesus, for making it possible.
Amen
>FEW THERE BE . . .
Billy Linthincum
“Strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life,
and few there be that find it.”
Matthew 7:14
“Resolve in your heart and mind” is a phrase I haven’t heard in a long while. But, I recently encountered it again and found myself diligently weighing its implications from a Biblical perspective. “Resolve” means:
1. to settle or find a solution
2. decide firmly on a course of action
3. firm determination to do something
4. to come to a definite or earnest decision about something
Resolving something has a strong correlation to the idea of “repenting.” To repent, from a secular perspective, usually minimizes the definition to “feeling sorry or dissatisfied about” something. But, it’s much more than that. Biblically speaking, to repent means to not only feel sorrow for past infractions and sin, but to have a change of mind, a turning away from one way of thinking to another, and having a determination to abandon those things and live a new life. Consequently, to truly repent means to resolve in your heart and mind to take a new course of action. And, what is that course of action? The original Greek word for repent implies a continual action that is satisfied only intrusting, depending on and relying implicitly on Christ, moment by moment. This is a reflection of the heart and mind that acts with a deep resolve.
It is important to understand that once an individual resolves in their heart and mind to follow Jesus, it will change their life…forever. It will set them apart from the rest of the world as being different. It is the definitive view of “the narrow way.” Following Jesus is more than just “getting saved” and feeling self-assured that heaven is our reward for being obedient. It is a whole new way of living. Sometimes, it can even be a lonely path because “few there be that find it.”
Are you one of those who has made a “profession of faith,” but have settled for an institutional type of religion that is shallow, weak, and a powerless imitation of the true church, that we read about in the book of Acts? Or…are you truly a follower of Christ? If you are (or want to be), then that narrow path you have chosen will set you apart from the rest of the world, and even among many who refer to themselves as a Christian.
Being a follower of Jesus is a defining choice that differentiates you from the norm, and aligns you with a narrow exclusive group of persons. From its very beginning, the Early Church discovered that living outside the established cultural mold made them distinct. Their resolve to follow Jesus taught them what it meant to be committed to the One who gave His life for them. Many of them were tortured and killed because they didn’t fit the worldly, compromising mold.
How about you? Has your ultimate resolve been to follow Jesus, even at the expense of being distinct from everyone else? It’s a path that is truly a narrow way, but it’s the one you’ll find Jesus on.
ASTONISHING TEACHING OF JESUS
Curtis Dickinson
In the free-fall of constitutional government that is now taking place, many Christians are asking just what they can do to save the country from tyranny and ruin. They no longer can trust the courts, and the voting process is invalidated because the illiterate and gullible citizens are manipulated by the media. The public is not aware that most of the high positions in government are now occupied by international Zionists.
Many are trying to turn the tide by informing people through newsletters and reports on the internet. But this only reaches a few in comparison to the millions who watch the managed news on TV. It is a David/Goliath situation and it looks hopeless.
But God has not given us a spirit of fear, but one of power and love and discipline (2 Tim. 1:7). He has not left us without instructions and examples.
When Jesus began His ministry the state of Judea was occupied by their enemy, Rome, and, although a bit of self-government was allowed, the people had no say whatever in selecting those in authority over them, which often included the most evil of men. Exorbitant taxation and confiscation of property were common, crime filled the streets and corruption sat in the courts.
In the face of these conditions, what did Jesus advise? “Blessed are the poor in spirit. Blessed are they that mourn. Blessed are the meek. Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness. Blessed are the merciful. Blessed are the pure in heart. Blessed are the peacemakers. Blessed are the persecuted” (Matt. 5:3-10). What kind of advice is this for such a time as that? Didn’t His listeners say, “You’ve got to be kidding.” Matthew writes that “the multitudes were astonished at his teaching.” And no wonder!
He went even farther. In the midst of violence and oppression, knowing that the chief priests wanted to kill Him and that the Roman soldiers eventually would nail Him to the cross, He said, “Love your enemies, and pray for them that persecute you” (Matt. 5:44).
Astonishing, indeed! Downright unnatural! How could Jesus, who was born of human flesh, and tempted in all ways as we are, so dismiss the normal reaction to the world’s treatment?”
For one thing, His worldview was clearly distinct from the pagan worldview. “My kingdom is not of this world,” He explained. “If the world hates you, you know that it hated me before it hated you” (John. 15:18). Before one can be a follower of Jesus he must decide between God and Caesar, between the kingdom of God and the kingdoms of this world. Many people are living in frustration because they have never done this. They are faithful to the traditions of their denominations, but powerless and joyless because of their allegiance divided between God and Caesar. Jesus challenges us to a new and different kingdom, a view so radical that they killed Him out of fear that His kingdom would turn man’s allegiance from their own worldly kingdom. His kingdom is geared to one thing: the will of God. He bids us to “Seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness” (Matt. 6:33).
Jesus set before His hearers the way of life which He Himself followed, the instructions which would guide them as they lived in a hostile world which hated righteousness and loved sin. Our attitude to the world about us must be entirely different from the attitude the world holds toward us. When we recognize this and accept it as the way it should be, because we are citizens of another kingdom, we can begin to have peace, even though the world knows no peace.
For another thing, Jesus had already yielded His life up to be used as the Father designed. When He was baptized by John He was declaring His submission to the will of the Father. Immediately, He was subjected to severe temptations in the wilderness, and from there He entered into a public ministry which, within three and a half years, would result in His death. But He had already made the decision to die. “The son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many” (Matt. 20:28). His life was not influenced by any of the ambitions common to the world, nor was it shaped by reactions to other influences. He had already “lost his life” as far as this world is concerned.
And this is exactly what He instructs us to do. “He that finds his life shall lose it; and he that loses his life for my sake shall find it” (Matt. 10:39). Paul wrote, “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I that live, but Christ lives in me” (Gal. 2:20). He explained that when we were baptized, “We were buried therefore with him through baptism into death…knowing this that our old man was crucified with him…” (Rom. 6:4,6). One who dies to self is no longer dependent upon what he is to gain from the world, nor is he guided by what the world may think of him. He is concerned about what God may gain and what people think of Jesus. He is a new creature (II Cor. 5:17), in another kingdom, and can view this world objectively and recognize that it is headed the wrong direction. He can give of himself freely, for he has been crucified with Christ. He has been saved from sin and death by the mercy and grace of God, and from that moment on, every day, every hour, is a bonus, with an exceedingly great reward to come.
It is written of Moses: “By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to share ill treatment with the people of God, rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season” (Heb. 11:24,25). When we choose to follow Jesus we are refusing the security and comfort which the world (the government) promises; we are choosing to receive the peace and joy God promises rather than the pleasures which are sought by the pagan world.
Does this mean ill-treatment and persecution? Perhaps not in the sense of death or imprisonment as in China or Turkey, although we have the example of Waco and Ruby Ridge. Less dramatic is the price a Christian student must pay for holding to the truth in a humanistic university, or the ridicule a teenager may suffer for refusing drugs, sex or alcohol. And what of the laborer who refuses to pay homage to the labor union, or the employee who reveals corruption in his company? And what is the reaction of most people when you decry the godlessness that is called entertainment today? We soon learn what John meant: “They are of the world: therefore speak they as of the world, and the world hears them” (I John 4:5), and “We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies in the evil one” (I John 5:19).
The modern church has tried to make Christianity compatible with the world, and its entire organization is patterned after the world’s concepts: a hierarchy fashioned after a business corporation; a staff of highly paid professionals rather than a fellowship of servants with each one being a priest. It demands one professional sermonizer, rather than the saints edifying one another. I cannot imagine Jesus as the Senior Minister pleading for funds for the multi-million dollar building project. I can’t picture Him, while all eyes are closed with the organ softly playing, pleading with people to “invite Him into their hearts.” Rather, I see Him crying, “Repent. If you would be my disciple deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow me.”
This is still the message needed today. All kinds of efforts are being made by patriotic citizens to save the nation, to halt the loss of freedoms, to restore constitutional government, and to preserve national sovereignty. The decline of freedom and national sovereignty is in direct relation to the decline of Christian faith and obedience to the Lord. Our nation is bogged down in sin, and this has far greater and more permanent consequences than all the political and economic problems put together. “For the wages of sin is death.” Jesus emphasized that it is no good to gain the world, but in the end, lose your life.
God did not send His son to save the U.S.A. but to save every individual who believes on Him. He is not dependent on our nation. He is at work all over the world, and accomplishes His purpose for His people in the worst of nations, in the worst of times. Even now, as you read these lines, He is at work in you, “both to will and to work, for His good pleasure” (Phil. 2:13). And we know what His pleasure is: “You shall love the Lord our God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind…you shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Matt. 22:37,39).
The astonishing words of Jesus still apply: “Be not anxious…but seek first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matt. 6:33).
A MEMORIAL
H.R. Miller
Many centuries before the cross of Christ, the Lord spoke to His people who were in bondage down in the land of Egypt. By the obedience of FAITH, believers were to be delivered from their enemies, and that faith was based upon the blood of Jesus Christ then, just as it is today. Salvation in Moses’ day, Noah’s day, Abel’s day, or any other day, has only been possible through faith in the Lord Jesus as the Lamb of God.
Man’s understanding of the work of the Saviour was rather primitive, but man’s approach to God has ever been the same; it is through the Lord Jesus. A new year began in Israel when the Lord told Egypt’s slaves, “This day shall be unto you for a memorial” (Exo. 12:1-30; Lev. 23:4-8). Here was a memorial the children of God were told to KEEP FOREVER. It was to be a sign of faith and obedience to every believer down through the ages.
That night in Egypt, it was not the righteousness of the Hebrews that justified them before the throne of God. In themselves, they had no righteousness any more than sinners have today, but through faith in the Word of God they OBEYED the order of the hour, and the blood of lambs marked the doors of believers that night. When the death angel came over, he found that these people were just before the throne of God. Their faith was counted as righteousness.
Had the Hebrews walked “in the light,” and continued in faith and obedience as they started, they could have inherited all the glories the Lord has prepared for them that love Him. They permitted an “evil heart of unbelief” to generate disobedience to the laws and commands of the “Rock that followed them,” and soon they became hardened through the deceitfulness of sin, and fell victim to their own lusts and passions. Then it was that God in His wrath cut them off, and they fell in the wilderness under the judgment of the Lord (Hebrews 3).
Now “we are made partakers of Christ IF we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end” (Heb. 3:14) “So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief” (verse 19). “Let us labor therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief” (Heb. 4:11).
Failure to “walk in the Light” has caused multitudes of souls to go down to destruction, not only in the days of National Israel but also in our own “last day.” Many of those who have had an experience with God, and a “taste of the heavenly gift,” have soon become entrenched in tradition and are swallowed up by the “leaven” of our own times. When they have learned the doctrine of Babylon from A to Z, the leading of the Holy Spirit stops. Their light then becomes darkness; and “how great is that darkness!”
The spirit of disobedience has swept the whole world. Men want to be a law unto themselves. They despise all commandments and laws. They fear bondage in precepts and statutes. This is not only a condition of the world but is often a very dominating thing even in the church. Most modern churchmen do not believe in the commandments of God and do away with them by saying we are not under law, but under grace.
Not only do these pseudo-professors of Christ hate law, they also hate every ordinance and custom that the Lord Jesus ever gave unto His people. With a sweep of the hand, he says, concerning customs and ordinances, “they were all for the Jew.”
Did Christ abolish every ordinance? Did He come to destroy the law or the prophets (Matt. 5:17)? “I AM NOT COME TO DESTROY.” Did He destroy the Passover? “I am not come to destroy but to fulfill.” Because He fulfilled all law does not mean that He abolished all law. In Matthew 3:15 we are told that HE FULFILLED all righteousness, but this does not do away with all righteousness!
Those who despise law and commandments are ever fearful of putting on a yoke of bondage and think that in order for the “just to live by faith” they must disregard all precepts and laws. But what saith the scriptures: “do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, WE ESTABLISH THE LAW” (Rom. 3:31). Moses, “THROUGH FAITH - kept the Passover” (Heb. 11:28). Christ, THROUGH FAITH, descended into the water and prefigured His death, and resurrection from the dead, as He rose again
Shall we do away with water baptism because Christ fulfilled all righteousness by being baptized? Certainly not. The commission is: “go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved.”
Every believer is “sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” (Heb. 10:10). Also, in the 18th verse: “there is no more offering for sin:” and again in I Cor. 5:7: “Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us.”
Because Christ fulfilled all that the Passover signified, shall we, therefore, cease to keep the feast? “THEREFORE LET US KEEP THE FEAST” (I Cor. 5:8).
On the fourteenth day of the month Abib, “As they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it and break it, and gave it to the disciples, and said take, eat, this is my body” (Matt. 26:26). And as Luke has it in chapter 22 verse 20, “Likewise also the cup AFTER SUPPER, saying, this cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.” Here it is that the bread and the cup take the foremost place in the Passover. “This do in remembrance of me” (Luke 22:19).
No more does the blood of an animal speak at our Passover. Now it is the bread and the wine which show the Lord’s death. In I Cor. 11:26 we are told to observe this “until He comes.” The partaking of these emblems is called “the communion of the body and the blood of Christ (I Cor. 10:16).
The communion is specially called of God for the Passover night, but this is not the only time for the children of God to partake of it. Though the Lamb was slain on the night of the Passover in Israel, it was not the only time that the Lamb of God was typified. They had a daily sacrifice; an evening and a morning oblation. This may account for the many times that the disciples of old “did break bread” in the early days. In Acts 2:42 it speaks of “apostles doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.” All these things were a service unto the Lord. This is why Paul said, in I Cor 11:26, “As OFTEN as ye eat this bread and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord’s death till He come.”
Therefore, every lover of Christ may partake of the communion as often as he wishes throughout the year, but on the Passover night, he is called of God to a special observance. The feast of unleavened bread should be an especial joy to the saints of today, for men can now fully understand its true significance. On the fifteenth day of Abib all leaven is to be put away, and for seven days no leaven is to be eaten by the servants of God (Deut. 16:3; Ex. 13:3-10).
Leaven signifies that which corrupts; Sin in all of its subtle forms. By the sacrifice of Christ, sin is removed from the temples of the Holy Ghost, and men stand holy before God.
The number seven signified by the number of days of the feast is the number of perfection. Perfection is the thing that Christ obtained for us (Heb. 10:14). Although it may not be seen in many Christians, yet in the eyes of God those who are in perfect fellowship with Him are counted perfect. So, “cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion; for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee:” He “who is our Passover.”
HEBREW NAMES
Randall Walton
For a number of years, there has existed a persistent effort among several divergent religious groups to establish the use of Hebrew terms whenever Deity is mentioned, whether in speech or in writing. Generally, this effort exists among 7th Day observers, but it is bound to cross over into other areas as the impetus increases to promote this movement.
We receive a great deal of pressure via publications to drop the use of such words as God, Lord, Jesus and Jehovah and use instead Yahweh, Yah, and Yahshua, which are purported to be the Hebrew equivalents for those terms.
If there were sufficient evidence in the Scriptures to warrant such a change as this, we should be glad to conform, for our sole desire is to please the Almighty and to honor Him in all of our ways. However, our research into the arguments which are claimed to support the Hebrew names leaves the claims destitute of meaningful substance: zero plus zero equals zero.
This is not to say that the arguments have not been carefully devised, for they are very thorough and are convincingly presented. However, they are based upon a few false premises which we will uncover in order to shed more light on the subject.
False Premise #1
“Hebrew is a sacred language, and/or the Hebrew names which refer to the Almighty are sacred and divine.”
The assumption is made that since God spoke to various people in the Hebrew tongue, that made that language, or at least the Hebrew name for God, sacred. This argument holds as much water as a sieve, for Hebrew is in no way a sacred tongue. If it were, then it would be advisable for all of us to learn to read, write and speak Hebrew as quickly as possible! (Anything sacred is far superior to that which is profane.)
Hebrew is only about 4000 years old having its genesis at the downfall of the tower of Babel when God confused the tongues of mankind. Prior to that time, there was but one language among men, and it was definitely not Hebrew: it was the same language which Adam used in the garden as he conversed with God, a heavenly tongue. Hebrew came about as the result of the rebellion against heaven and is an inferior language just as all of man’s languages are.
The reason God spoke to men in Hebrew is simply because that was the language those men knew. The Almighty is not limited to any language; He knows them all! And He is capable of conversing fluently with anyone, anywhere, in any language. If God should speak to a Spanish-speaking person today, He would speak Spanish (not Hebrew), but that would not make Spanish a sacred language.
Neither did God’s conversation with Hebrew-speaking people make their language sacred or divine. Even when He revealed His name to men in Hebrew, that did not make those particular sounds of intelligible utterance sacred insofar as the Hebrew language is concerned. He spoke to men in terms which they could understand, and the sounds which the Hebrews understood were Hebraic!
If we follow the “sacred names” reasonings to their logical conclusions, then we would expect God, whenever He spoke to mankind in their own tongue, to revert to Hebrew when He referred to Himself. But look at the Biblical record.
John The Revelator
John was a Hebrew of the tribe of Judah (a Jew), who was most undoubtedly conversant in the Hebrew and/or Aramaic language. But as with most of the Jews of that era, Greek was their official language, a fact which was due to the occupation of Palestine by Alexander The Great prior to the Roman conquest. As a consequence, the books of the New Testament came to us via the Greek Language.
The significance of this is that the Book of Revelation, unlike the epistles of Paul, James, Peter and John, was a divine dictation through vision, given to John in Greek! Surely, if there is any validity to the assertion that Hebrew names of Deity are sacred, those appellations should appear in every instance where God or Deity is mentioned in the Apocalypse. But do they? Did the Holy Spirit revert to the Hebrew to designate Deity when the Revelation was given in Greek?
From The Record (Revelation)
ENGLISH GREEK NO. OF TIMES MEANING
God Theos 99 Supreme Divinity
Lord Kurio 21 Supreme in authority
Lord Despotes 1 Master
Jesus Lesous 14 Saviour
Almighty Pantokrator 8 Absolute Sovereign, Omnipotent
The only references to the Hebrew in Revelation are one concerning the king of the kabyss (Abaddon) and one about Armageddon (9:11; 16:16). Nothing at all is said about Hebrew being used to designate Deity! No not once. And this from the Book which is 100% divinely authored.
The message that comes through loud and clear is that God speaks to man in man’s own tongue and does so even when He speaks of Himself!
False Premise #2
“Names are transliterated from one language to another (by sound).” What is meant by this is that no matter what the name is in one language, it will sound the same in all other languages.
This is so false as to be ridiculous. It is true that some names have small changes, but other names are not recognizable as they pass through different tongues. Examples:
ENGLISH GREEK SPANISH HEBREW
James or Jacob Iakobus Jacobo Yahakobe
Mary Mariam Maria Meer-Yawm
Peter Petros Pedro Kafe (no exact equiv.)
Andrew Andreas Andres No exact equiv.
Moses Moce-Yoos Moises Mosheh
God Theos Dios Yahweh (Yhwh)
Lord Kurios Senor Yahshua
Anyone who knows the above languages knows that the pronunciation, or the sounds, of these names are certainly not the same. The only truly phonetic languages above are English and Spanish while Greek and Hebrew have their own respective alphabets. It would be virtually impossible to duplicate the exact Hebrew sounds in English due to these facts.
This is a mere sampling of the differences which exist between various languages. This becomes even more apparent with the addition of more and more tongues and dialects.
It is plain to see that the premise of transliteration has no foundation in truth. This is another one of the means which is used to intimidate the unknowledgeable concerning these things.
False Premise #3
“The words God and Lord refer to pagan idols.”
This evokes the age-old question of, “Which was first, the chicken or the egg?” The fact that the heathen called their idols “gods” in no way detracts from the Creator of all things. Our God lives and rules over His creation. Furthermore, we know Him and fellowship with Him.
The gods of this world are non-entities who have their names given them by their worshippers. It is incredible that by calling upon God or the Lord, a devout Christian might be addressing some pagan god or Baal. That is pure baloney!
False Premise #4
“The letter “J” is a modern addition to the English language and is therefore disqualified to be used for the sacred names, such as in Jesus and Jehovah.”
All languages change from time to time, but this does not alter the picture at all. We do not know how “Jesus” was spelled before the letter J came in to use, but its spelling is insignificant. It is not the spelling which is important, nor even the pronunciation in a given language. What is of vital importance is the MEANING of a respective word or name as used within a particular language, for every term used in Scripture to describe Deity has a definite purpose: 1) to describe the person; 2) to describe the character of the person.
Thus the word Elohim (Hebrew) tells us that this is the Supreme Being or Almighty God. The context in which the word appears tells us something of His greatness and power (Gen. 1:1-31). But we only understand this meaning within the confines of our own native tongue. Whatever the Hebrew word denotes is only comprehensible to us when it is translated into our own language (English).
And in English, we have a word which fits that description quite well. It is God. When we think of God, we think of One who is all-powerful, who brought forth creation by His word. He is Sovereign, Almighty, the Great Supreme Ruler of heaven and earth. It is perfectly correct for us to claim Him as our God.
The Hebrew language makes use of four letters (Tetragrammaton) to describe the Almighty. Transcribed from Hebrew to English, this appears as four Consonants: YHYH. While there is much disagreement about the correct pronunciation of this term, the most popular one is Yahweh, and it means “Everliving” or “Eternal.” It is highly descriptive of His Divine Character. But once again, we derive benefit from this name only when it is used within the framework of our own tongue. Since we have a dictionary definition of the word, then we know that He is the Eternal Being, and it is just and reasonable for us to refer to Him as The Eternal.
Exodus 6:2,3 reads: “And God (Elohim) spoke unto Moses, and said unto him, I am the Lord (YHWH): and I appeared unto Abraham, and unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty [Elohim, Shadday (Almighty)], but by my name Jehovah (YHWH, Yahweh) was I not known by them.”
This is a vivid example of the use of these terms or names. God refers to Himself as both the Supreme Being and the Eternal Being. He is described by these expressions whether we say it in Hebrew, English, German or whatever language we use. It is not necessary to use the Hebrew version to describe Him. Also, consider the following: “the Lord (Eternal) God (Supreme Being) of your fathers, the God (Supreme Being) of Abraham, the God (Supreme Being) of Isaac, and the God (Supreme Being) of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name forever…” (Exodus 3:15).
It should be mentioned here that the word Jehovah is not an exact transcription of the Tetragrammaton. The “J” is not the equivalent of the Hebrew YOWD (Yode) and the “V” is questionable because the Hebrew letter VAV had both the v and w sound. Even the experts don’t agree as to the correct pronunciation of the Tetragrammaton. So, while Jehovah may be incorrect, it may not be any worse than the other many attempts to pronounce the word.
There are other descriptive words in the Scriptures which are called “names” which refer to the Almighty Supreme Being:
“whose name is Jealous” (Heb. Kan-naw) Ex. 34:14.
“call his name Immanuel” (God is with us) Isa. 7:14.
“name shall be called Wonderful (miracle), Counsellor (Adviser), The mighty God (Powerful Supreme Being), The everlasting Father (Eternal Chief), The Prince of Peace,” (Master of safety and welfare) Isa. 9:6.
“the Lord of Hosts is his name” (Eternal of armies, or warriors) Isa. 47:4).
“whose name is Holy” (sacred) (notice the word Holy is capitalized and is nominative, not adjectival) Isa. 57:15.
“whose name is the God of hosts” (Supreme Being of armies, or warriors) Amos 5:27.
Any of these names are qualified to be used in reference to the Living God and are appropriate depending upon the circumstance in which He is being portrayed. Those who insist on mixing their English with Hebrew may acquaint themselves with these Hebrew words and use them in the same way they do YAHWEH or YAH.
The Importance of YAH
The only catch here is that the sound YAH does not appear in these other names and the YAHvists insist that the sound of “YAH” must be included in the name. This is the reason they make such a fuss about the word “Alleluia,” which means “praise the Lord,” or YAH. What they don’t tell us is that the word is used but four times in the entire English Bible (KJV). In the Psalms where the words say “Praise ye the Lord,” the Hebrew says to Praise Yah, which translated from Hebrew to English is “Praise the Eternal Being.” Our English word “Lord” means exactly the same thing and to many of us, sounds much more appropriate than mixing two man-made languages together.
Those who prefer to mix the languages, however, may do as they please, but they shouldn’t tell the rest of us we are blaspheming God, or that we are taking His name in vain, or that we are an abomination for not mixing Hebrew with our English. Neither should they disfellowship all those who disagree with their theories.
The Septuagint
This book is the Old Testament written in Greek. In about the 3rd century B.C. a group of 70 Jewish scholars in Alexandria, Egypt, translated the Old Testament into Greek to make the words of the Lord available to more people since most of the people used Greek as their spoken language. It is noteworthy that those Hebrew translators did not use the so-called sacred Hebrew names when they carried out their monumental work. Even in the much-referred to verse in Psalm 68:4 which uses “Jah” in the KJV, those august men use none other than Kurios, the Greek word from which we get our English “Lord”!
Shall we conclude that those men of Israel who were cognizant of the traditions and practices of the Levites, and the usage of the so-called sacred Hebrew names were off course, or misled or deceived? By what sort of reasoning are we to assume that they were in delusion while modern non-Hebrew students are basking in the sunlight of God’s truth?
Our persuasions lie solidly with those 70 ancient Hebrew scholars!
Division Incorporated
The sacred names people have become an exclusive religious sectarian club that denounces and rejects all others as if they were heretics, apostates, and reprobates. This doctrine has become one of the most powerful divisive factors in Christianity today. It is the chief cause of separatism and contributes greatly to the exalting and pride of carnal man. Yahvists whom we have known considered themselves several rungs above those who call themselves Christians because they count themselves the enlightened ones, the correct people, the only ones who walk in truth.
The name of the Almighty is important, but all of the names God has given us in His word are descriptive of His divine nature. We can glorify Him in any language by using those terms which agree with the definition as set forth in the Holy Scriptures concerning our Supreme, Eternal, Mighty, Jealous, living and loving God, The Master of the Universe. Furthermore, God said He magnified His word above His name! (Psalm 138:2)