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I have been very blessed by hearing the testimonies of our brethren over this ongoing Feast of Unleavened Bread. We have had the opportunity to rehearse some of the many blessings that our Father has bestowed upon His Church over the years, from heart-changing conversions to miracles of deliverance to special inspiration that disarms disruptive spirits attempting to come into our midst.
We have taken the time to review the unique and holy nature of this message, which some have received with delight and others – many of whom we have attempted to evangelize over the years – have rejected with confusion or contempt. It is always a saddening experience to see a soul turning away from the loving Father, who is drawing them to everlasting life. We see around us solemn reminders of who we would be without the Savior. We have the New Moon as a sign in the sky of the darkness of a dead rock without the sun’s light to reflect, and in human flesh we see the unsaved, slaves to passion, addictions of various kinds, and ultimately subject to death.
Rather than a feeling of superiority over the rest of the world, as a carnal mind might embrace, we feel a sense of responsibility and longing. If a family member were in trouble, in jail or in the hospital, would we feel joy because we were better off than they? Clearly not; even phileo (brotherly love) would forbid such an attitude from being acceptable. How much more, then, does agape reject any sense of being “above” anyone else, regardless of their spiritual or material status? We are our brothers’ keepers. We are the angels of the Gospel. We are the ministers of all men. Our Father’s love has made us reasonable and willing servants of the lost and dying.
As powerful as this Gospel is, however, it is not something to be taken for granted. The sanctified life is powerful, but it also requires careful nurture. This is what I’d like to speak about today, the characteristics of power, because there are different kinds of hardness, different kinds of strength, and not every kind reflects a spiritually healthy experience.
The main idea here actually came to me from a question that arose a week or so ago in our conversations following the main study, and it was about blushing. This verse was brought up, and there was a question about what it meant: “Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? Nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush; therefore, they shall fall among them that fall. ‘At the time that I visit them they shall be cast down,’ saith Yahweh.” (Jer 6:15) This is repeated again, almost word-for-word, in Jeremiah 8:12.
What does it mean when the enemies of Yahweh are described as being unable to blush? As I had explained, these rebels, the false prophets and unfaithful priests, had become so corrupt that they did wicked things, trampling on the Law of Yahweh, and they did so with no shame, no remorse. Human beings blush when blood rushes to their faces because their circulation increases; their bodies are preparing to fight, or to run away. It is a common reaction to fear, excitement, or shame. This is one of the dangers of sin; it is self-protecting. They very nature of sin, and willful sin in particular, is that it prevents the effectual working of the Holy Spirit, which is the sinner’s only hope of conviction, then repentance, then restoration.
Knowing about sin from a direct experience with sin is like knowing about death due to experiencing death. Once you know it, it’s too late to do anything about it. Just as the Gospel transforms the mind into the likeness of Yahshua’s own, so sin transforms the individual into one who rejects light, and attempts to avoid judgment. At first, there is an effort to escape the voice of conscience. But eventually, a worse state emerges.
We read: “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils, speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron.” (1Tim 4:1, 2)
Flesh that is seared with a hot iron is dead, unable to feel… just scar tissue. In just the same way, a conscience that is seared can neither hear nor respond to the Spirit’s calling, whether through a direct voice, through providence, or through an evangelist. Such an individual does not need to escape the voice of conviction through his conscience, because there is no sensation of guilt, or shame, remaining. We see examples of this in the Scripture, as here: “And Pharaoh hardened his heart at this time also, neither would he let the people go.” (Exo 8:32)
Since we had a question about this a few weeks ago, let’s revisit the answer by reading the parallel verse: “And Yahweh hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he hearkened not unto them, as Yahweh had spoken unto Moses.” (Exo 9:12)
Who hardened Pharaoh’s heart? Well, Pharaoh did. He had the opportunity to listen to the messenger of the divine will, and release his captives. He had pride and royal privilege against him in this choice, but the choice was ultimately his to make.
In an equally true sense, Yahweh did it, first by providing the occasion on which the King of Egypt rejected the divine will, and second because, upon repeated rejections, the Almighty no longer sent His messengers. No angels visited Pharaoh with whispers of conviction, and after a certain time we read of this final exchange: “But Yahweh hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not let them go. And Pharaoh said unto him, ‘Get thee from me, take heed to thyself, see my face no more; for in that day thou seest my face thou shalt die.’ And Moses said, ‘Thou hast spoken well, I will see thy face again no more.’” (Exo 10:27-29)
There is cooperation in our salvation, between our free will and Yahweh’s saving grace. Similarly, there is a mutual decision between Yahweh and the unsaved. They say to Him, “Go away from me, and don’t let me see Your face again;” and we understand that the “face” of Yahweh is His perfect love and glory. For His part, Yah withdraws His Spirit, knowing that future attempts will only compound the soul’s condemnation, and the matter is settled for eternity. He says, “I will see thy face again no more.”
These are they who do wrong, who commit sin, and do not blush. Their consciences are seared; their hearts are hardened. But isn’t hardness a good thing? It certainly has a connotation of strength, and even the prophets are told to harden themselves, aren’t they? Being sent to a rebellious people, Isaiah expressed his confidence in his mission, saying, “For the Lord Yahweh will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded. Therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed.” (Isa 50:7)
Here we see a hardness of conviction. The results are similar, in that there is no shame, no need to blush, but the reason is very different. Here Isaiah proclaims that he will not be moved from his faithfulness to Yahweh and his commitment to righteousness. Those who harden their hearts against Yahweh’s will receive a similar strength, but their courses are fixed toward a very different destiny.
This is certainly true of an individual’s relationship with the Creator, but what about an entire organization? Can they experience a similar hardening of heart? Can they become strong, but in a spiritually unhealthy way, so that their strength is dead, un-moving, and contrary to the spirit of love?
There is a well-known quote among CSDAs from an SDA Sabbath School quarterly from 1896 that is relevant to this question. We may read the passage here: “When the early church departed from God and imbibed pagan errors, she became Babylon. When she united with the state, she fell, and, as an organization, was the body of Christ no longer. While the Reformation churches held fast to the word, Christ was with them. Then they crystallized their various errors into creeds and endeavored thus to confine God’s word, they made themselves daughters of Babylon. When some of them united with the state, they fell, and God had to use other people, called out of Babylon to carry forward His work.” [SDA Sabbath School Quarterly, Feb 29, 1896]
We see here identified two distinct states of apostasy. The first is a condition of confusion identified as Babylon. It is when truth and error are mixed. The people are not in rebellion against the will of Yahweh knowingly; they are being misled, and as a result their faith becomes confounded. There is no call, Scripturally, to depart from a Church in this state. Here is where prayers for restoration are inspired. Reformers should go to the leaders and plead with them to reverse their course. Letters should be written. Bible studies should be given. Attention should be drawn to the errors, and the Scriptures should prevail.
If these measures fail, however, or if Satan so skillfully conceals his work that they are never taken at all, then comes the hardening of the heart. Here comes the pronouncement that “they crystallized their various errors.” What does it mean to crystallize? It means to become solid, to become hard. It means to stop all natural growth, and to become a stone. It is only thus that they could unite with the state, because the living heart of Yahshua’s Bride will reject any suitor but her true Husband.
In short, in order for a Church to reject Christ and fall by uniting with the state, it must first cease to “blush” for its errors. It must harden itself into policies and creeds, impersonal measures of truth, rather than the limitless boundaries of love. Love does not disfellowship a brother for disagreements over the interpretation of a doctrine. Creeds do exactly that; that is what they are designed for, to be a line of division between those who accept the right teachings, as judged by those in power, and those who do not.
This is how the second spiritual state emerges: Fallen Babylon, or Babylon Fallen. This is when no work from the inside can bring about a genuine reformation. Just as Yahweh silences the voice of His Spirit to those who have told Him to go away, so He ceases to send His genuine messengers to a Church that is “Babylon Fallen.” Of course, some who think they are messengers may still go. Some may say, “Stay with the ship, the ship will go through. God will remove the wicked leaders, and restore truth.” Some may post countless Facebook messages about the apostasies and pagan doctrines the Church has accepted. But they are not sent by Christ. They are clinging to the remedy for Babylon, mistakenly believing that they are doing a work for the Father, even though their efforts will never affect this new, hard-hearted state. And I am not saying that the saints will not point out error; they will certainly do so, but in an attempt to draw those sincere seekers to the newly called-out Body, not in an attempt to fix the broken cisterns.
Babylon Fallen is no longer merely confused. It is also apathetic; that is, it doesn’t really care what its convictions are. Like Laodicea settled into its error, it sees no need to move. Instead, it replaces genuine convictions with creeds to tell it what is right and wrong. It replaces the fruit of the Spirit with policies and procedures that may look good on the surface, but on the inside are cold and dead. Remember, a crystal can be a beautiful thing. It may reflect light and sparkle brilliantly, giving the appearance of great value. A fallen Church can have well thought-out doctrines, Scripturally defensible teachings, and strongly worded dogma… but that is not the right kind of strength.
The saints of Yahweh will not blush in the face of temptation, because they know Him in Whom they believe, and have no reason to be ashamed. The defenders of the fallen Church will not blush in the face of rebuke, because Satan is holding their hearts, and his hands are cold.
In uniting with the state, a Church seals its fate as an organization. Its members may be redeemed, but they must repent of the evil in which they have been involved, and come away. Now, things brings us back to another topic we discussed recently… repentance.
Repentance is not the same thing as “feeling bad.” It is a turning-away from evil; and perhaps even more importantly, one need not be personally guilty of a sin in order to turn away from it. If a temptation comes to me to steal, or to lie, I “repent” of that possibility. I resolutely turn from it, and the thoughts and feelings go away. A member of a fallen Church, upon recognizing his condition, must “repent” of his association with the corrupted body, even though he may not have been personally involved in its decisions. He must reject the choices made on his behalf by his spiritual leaders, then find and unite with the Body of Christ.
There is power in repentance, in turning away from evil. Remember this simple, Biblical formula: “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7)
“He will flee from you.” What a promise! The carnal Christian says, “Every now and then, Satan or the flesh takes over, and we sin.” How is that possible, if Satan is fleeing from you? How is that possible when Satan, looking at you, sees the same divine nature that he saw in Christ? What victory can he have over such a holy Spirit, even one confined for the moment to sinful flesh?
Some may say, “But we are not always submitted to God, so the Devil is not always fleeing from us.” Again, there is a simple, Biblical formula: “I have set Yahweh always before me; because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.” (Psalm 16:8) The testimony of Yahshua, which we bear, is “And He that sent Me is with Me; the Father hath not left Me alone, for I do always those things that please Him.” (John 8:29)
The Father’s presence surrounds you, just as it surrounded Christ. His heart was not hard to the Father’s voice, and neither is ours. If we have errors yet to discover, unknown sins yet to forsake, our errors are not crystalized; we are not joined to our sins in a covenant. In fact, the strength of our Church and its members is that it is hard, but a “living hard;” not a stone, but a tree, a sturdy Vine.
The Church of Yahshua is flexible when necessary. We are always learning, but never in rebellious error. We hear the voice of our Father, and as a result of that, we do things very differently than any of the pretend-brides. As a simple example, most SDA Churches have two separate services, a Sabbath School and then a Sermon. In the CSDA Church, we have the study first, and then the “Sabbath School” discussion, which is more reasonable; it connects the services together in a very natural way. It also arose in a very organic manner, by seeing what we as His people needed, and then letting Him show us how to best address it. This approach honors the topic that Yah has chosen for that Sabbath, because we don’t just hear the study and go home. We discuss, examine, ask questions, and this allows for a more full understanding. Even if our congregations became very large, this would still be the superior way to teach the Word of Yahweh.
The problem is, many within the General Conference organization rely on those who have never set foot among to them to tell them what to teach, and what to learn. The Sabbath School quarterlies may once have been a useful guide, when the Church was walking after Christ; in fact, I quoted from an older one earlier… but that is not to be, and never should have been, a replacement for a simple addressing of each congregation’s needs.
This may seem like a small example, but it is significant. It illustrates that even though Yahshua founded His Church two thousand years ago, we are still adapting, adjusting, and growing. With life comes growth, not crystallization. Both result in strength, but a tree is strong and a diamond is strong. You can mistake one kind of strength for another, and it is easy to have your eye caught by the shiny thing; but one kind of strength does now allow for living growth, and the end result is destruction.
A church that is backed by the state can seem, can feel, very strong. It is recognized in governmental decrees. It is respected by the general public, well-known and spoken about. It has “friends in high places,” and can count on favors on behalf of its organization and membership. But this was not the kind of strength that Yahshua displayed nor what He taught was important. In fact we read concerning His disciples: “And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.” (Mark 8:31)
His disciples did not understand this as the fulfillment of His ministry. They knew He had power from on high. They knew He was blessed by the Father, and yet, here He was speaking of being killed. So great was their grief, apparently, that they missed the part about Him rising again. That should have comforted them, or at least filled them with curiosity, and yet they could not see past the announcement of His impending death. This was Yahshua’s strength, to stay true to His purpose, despite the overwhelming and intimidating display of authority by His opponent, and the lack of understanding and support from His friends. This is true courage, and living power. This is the strength that the Church demonstrates to the world in our words, in our actions, in our choices.
And so, there are two applications here for the professed people of Yahweh.
First, beware fanaticism. Do not be so hardened in your course that you cannot hear the voice of Yahweh through conviction, and through your fellow servants, when the light increases and a better way is revealed. Do not let your opinions or standards crystalize, except that they concern the Law of God, and the Faith of Yahshua. Anything else, including even your understanding of these things… we know they are to be continually refined until the close of human history. Perhaps, for most, any changes that are necessary will be slight adjustments. We would be very surprised if we were understanding “Thou shalt not steal” incorrectly; and yet, there are ever deeper applications and understandings to be gained. Thought processing, which is a matter we intend to cover during this Camp Meeting, depends on a heart and mind that is warm, fresh, and strong in a non-crystalline way.
Second, and on a corporate level, recognize where the glory of Yahweh resides. It is not among a people who have married the world. It is not among a people who have crystallized their errors into creeds; that is just the preliminary step before they become Babylon Fallen, and the inevitable calling-out of those who would remain faithful to their Savior. When a Church unites with the state, this is the sign that no amount of prayers or attempts at reformation will be effective. Its collective heart is a crystal, perhaps beautiful and transparent, perhaps containing much truth and divine wisdom from its days as a living entity. However, attempting to enshrine love only destroys it. Note from the original quote, “they crystallized their various errors into creeds and endeavored thus to confine God’s word.”
Any attempt to preserve a blessing through secular means will only confine it. It will restrict it. It will prevent it from spreading and growing. A good thing, a good doctrine, a good reputation, a good Church name, if protected by human power and not by Yahweh’s Spirit, will confine God’s Word, and prevent it from doing its work among mankind. We read this, and I will show the connection in a moment: “The fool hath said in his heart, ‘There is no God.’ They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.” (Psalm 14:1)
A union of Church and state, like a creed, is a crystal of error. It reveals a heart that is hardened to the voice of the Almighty, making repentance and a return to Christ impossible. The prodigal son, though he was foolish for a time, never said to another man “You are my father, you have begotten me.” He never made a covenant with another to replace the one he had abandoned; thus, he was able to find repentance, and return home. In uniting with the State while in a state of apostasy, a Church says, in effect, “We have no king but Caesar,” and in that very moment, they have lost their first home, their first estate, forever.
Those who act as if there were no God act as fools. Those who do not believe there is a God who will defend them as His Church are as fools, and in their foolishness they turn to the world for what God intended to do for them. They make a covenant with another Father or, to use a different symbol, another Husband. As it turns out, there is no difference between the destinies of a fool and an infidel, which is why it says, “Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast; for it is the number of a man, and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.” (Rev 13:18)
You know that the word “count” in both English and Greek does not necessarily mean to “compute.” It also means to reckon, to figure out, and to realize. Here is wisdom, the opposite of foolishness, to realize what the beast is, to recognize its works among men, and to separate himself from that “number;” from that group or company. And look at the very next verse: “And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with Him an hundred forty and four thousand, having His Father’s name written in their foreheads.” (Rev 14:1)
This is not a new topic. This is a continuation of the very same thought. The 144,000 are those who recognize the beast, the spirit of Satan in human instrumentality – the cold, hard, crystallized heart of a dragon disguised in human organizations and institutions, and they choose instead to follow the Lamb. These are they who know that religious policy is a lifeless replacement for the guidance of the Spirit, and that creeds and lists of fundamental doctrines are Satan’s tool to make errors harder to detect, and impossible to correct even when they are found.
The saints of these last days are not fools, nor are they fooled by the voice of the subtle tempter. Their faces may be set like a flint with regard to the opposition of Satan and his agents, but their hearts are soft, tender, loving… willing to be wounded, as Christ was wounded, for the healing and safety of others. They are challenged. They are bent, like a vine, and not like a diamond, but this is their strength, that they shall neither fail nor be discouraged. This is their strength, that in their weakness they succeed, because their Father is Yahweh. This is in their strength, that in the midst of corruption and every work of the flesh, they bloom fresh with the Fruit of the Spirit, like a gentle flower growing up out of hard ground.
This is the Bride for which the Savior is returning. This is the Bride to which every souls is invited, and today, even today, the Redeemer opens His arms, and His doors, to all who will hear His voice, harden not their hearts, and come in.
David.