Bro. Richard l.s.Gan
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: according as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love: having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the Beloved, in whom we have redemption through His Blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace; wherein He hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; having made known unto us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure which He hath purposed in Himself: that in the dispensation of the fullness of times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in Him: in whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of Him who worketh all things after the counsel of His own will.”
– Eph.1:3-11This passage of the Holy Scriptures clearly shows us that all born again children of God were chosen in Christ by the Almighty God Himself before the foundation of the world and should be holy and blameless before Him in love. It also tells us that the Loving God had predestinated us to be adopted as His own children through Christ according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of His Glorious Grace which He has so freely given to us in His Beloved One. Yes, it is in Christ Jesus and through His Blood that we are redeemed and forgiven of our sins.
The first chapter of the Book of Ephesians is indeed rich in spiritual nutrients for the souls of the saints of God. It is one of several places in the Holy Scriptures where God has so clearly revealed His Personality and His divine purpose unto His elect. The singular personal pronouns such as “He”, “Him”, “His” and “Himself” which Paul used when referring to the Almighty God clearly show us that God is ONE SPIRIT. Paul would not have written it that way if he had believed that God was a Trinity of three co-equal Gods, namely the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, which most Christians today believe. Verse 9 alone is sufficient for any true child of God to understand that God is ONE and not Three. It says “having made known unto us the mystery of His (not Their) will, according to HIS (not Their) good pleasure which He (not They) hath purposed in HIMSELF (not Themselves).” [Note carefully the last phrase of verse 11 which states: “…after the counsel of HIS OWN (not Their) will”.]
THE ALL-KNOWING & ALL-POWERFUL GOD
Many years ago, I attended a seminar held by a local Assembly of God church (of which I was a member) for its Sunday School teachers and 'leaders'. And during the seminar one of the participants raised this question: “Does God know who would accept the Gospel and who would not?” The answer given by the pastor came as a great shock to me. He said: “God knows everything, but in this matter He chose not to know.”
What folly! It was hard to believe that an academically and theologically trained person like the pastor would give such a foolish answer. That answer reminded me of a paradoxical question often asked by the unbelievers concerning God's power: “If God is All-Powerful, can He make a rock big enough that He is unable to carry?” A positive or a negative answer to the question would immediately render the All-Powerful God helpless and hopeless. Similarly, if the answer given by that A.O.G. pastor was right, it would mean that God had chosen not to care about the welfare of mankind when He really did, and does, care (Psm.40:5; 1Pet.5:7). Then again, can a person choose not to know something which he already knew? Of course, the Almighty God can choose to do that, but to do so would mean that He has to blot out from His thoughts those things which He had purposed to do.
God does not change His Mind about His Original Word or Plan. He cannot contradict Himself. He must fulfill His Word, even if it means hurting Himself. And He demonstrated His great Divine Love for humanity when He sent His Only Begotten Son to die on the cross to redeem man. He not only chose to redeem but had also chosen to forgive and forget the sins of all who would call upon Him as their Saviour. Yes, in this case we can say that He had chosen to forgive and forget all our sins which He knew that we would commit even before we came into existence in this world. And redemption is given through the Blood of His Son, Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of His will and the riches of His Glorious Grace.
May God help us to see His Purpose in us as we seek to understand His Word.
THE WILL AND PURPOSE OF GOD
Now, since God is omnipotent and omniscient He has always been able to look into the future from the beginning, even before anything was created. As such, He was able to prepare a remedy for man whom He knew would fall.
“But why did God go ahead and create man if He knew that he would fall and cause the miserable conditions that exist in the world today?” This is a very common question often asked by many people who could not accept God as their Creator. I pity such people. It is often their pride which causes them to think that they are smarter than their Creator. If only they could realise what Isaiah the prophet had written:
“Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and He will have mercy upon him, and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon. For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returned not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: So shall MY WORD be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto Me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.”
– Isa.55:7-11The WORD which goes forth out of the mouth of God is the Expression of God's Thought, and It will accomplish Its purpose. Therefore no one can thwart whatever God had planned to do. The carnal-minded men of the earth cannot understand God's purpose for mankind. The things of God are spiritually discerned; only the spiritually minded can appreciate them. (Read 1 Cor.2:6-16). Yes, the Thoughts of God are higher than our thoughts. He is the Creator and we are His creations. He is the Potter and we are the clay. Can the clay say to the Potter, “Why have you made me so?” The Potter has the power over the clay to fashion it whichever way He pleases. And the clay will never know the Potter's intention unless it submits to His will.
It is obvious that God had a plan and purpose for fallen mankind even before He created them for He is a God of Love Who is rich in Grace and Mercy. Through His creations, God manifests Himself as the Creator. It is for His Own good pleasure (Gen.1:1; Col.1:16-18a; Rev.4:11). But in all that, He wants a family as a tabernacle to dwell in, and a people to dwell with. He wants a people that is perfect and obedient to Him. However, nothing can truly reach the state of perfection unless it is put to the test — like gold being put in the furnace, clay being put in the fire and diamond being cut and polished. Similarly, man must be tested. It is just God's purpose. St. Paul wrote:
“For the creation (nature) was subjected to frailty – to futility, condemned to frustration – not because of some intentional fault on its part, but by the will of Him Who so subjected it. [Yet] with the hope that nature (creation) itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and corruption [and gain an entrance] into the glorious freedom of God's children.”
– Rom.8:20-21 (Amp.)Praise God! May He grant us the understanding of His ways. (Read Psalm 119:27).
PREDESTINATION BY FOREKNOWLEDGE
The Doctrine of Predestination has been misunderstood by many church-goers. While some would discard this Truth for some other traditional explanations, others would fight it as being from the pit of hell.
Carnal religious men, trapped in the framework of church traditions and theology, could never understand the simplicity of the Truth of God. How could they claim to believe in an Omnipotent and Omniscient God while denying Him the power to foreordain what He has foreknown.
Now, when God predestinates, He does not merely choose a sinner to make a Christian out of him, and leave another in his own sinful state to be cast into the Lake of Fire. No, certainly not, for that would make God unjust in His thoughts and actions. But God is a just God (Deut.32:4; Isa.45:21). How could He be just if He picked and chose some to be His children and left the others to be condemned?
The answer lies in His foreknowledge of all things even before they existed. Being All-knowing, He was able to know who would and who would not accept His Gospel of salvation in Christ Jesus. For those who would, God then chose and predestinated them, in His love and according to the good pleasure of His Will, to be adopted as His children through Christ Jesus. Paul said:
“For whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He did predestinate, them he also called: and whom He called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them He also glorified.”
– Rom.8:29-30“…but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God; Who hath saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began.”
– 2 Tim.1:8b-9Thank God for His Divine Purpose in us. Amen!
See, what had the ALL-POWERFUL God done? He predestinated, called, justified and glorified all those whom He foreknew BEFORE the foundation of the world TO BE CONFORMED TO the image of His Son, Jesus Christ. (Hence, we do not merely believe in the Doctrine of Predestination, but in the Doctrine of Predestination by Foreknowledge.) Paul was even persuaded that nothing — absolutely nothing — can separate the chosen ones from the LOVE of God which is in Christ Jesus. God's gifts and calling are irrevocable. (Read Romans 8:35-39; 11:29.) Blessed be the Name of the Lord!
CALLING IN THE MYSTERY OF GOD
Dearly beloved, if you have been walking in the Light of this hour, you should by now have realised the depth of God's love for us when he sent a Prophet-Messenger to turn us back to His Full Word which our Apostolic Fathers (the Church's first Apostles) had laid down in the Holy Scriptures. In so doing, He is separating the few chosen ones, from the many so-called Christians, to be prepared as a Bride for His glorious coming. From as early as the First Century A.D., the Church of God has been in spiritual darkness under the leadership of wicked and evil men, and many truths have either been watered down or distorted. But the hour has come for God to perfect His Endtime Church by His Word under the “Ascension Gifts” Ministry of Ephesians 4:11-16. We are to adorn ourselves with the Revelation of the Word which God has so graciously bestowed upon us at this present time. Let us not forget that it is the very Love of God which is shed upon us by the Spirit that opens our spiritual eyes to see His Precious Word of Truth, and to understand the Mystery of His Will, even the Truth of our calling in the Gospel of His Son. Paul prayed:
“That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of His calling, and what the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power to us-ward who believe,…”
– Eph.1:17-19aIn one way or another, all Bible lovers understand the Gospel of God, how that God sent His Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ, into this world to save us from our sins (Jhn.3:16-21). We know that He came through the nation of the Jews unto whom the Gospel was first given (Rom.1:16). But because they rejected their Messiah, God blinded them temporarily and turned to the other nations until the full number of the Gentiles is complete (Rom.11:25). Of course, all these were foreknown and predestinated of God as evidenced in the various prophecies of the Old Testament prophets even before they happened. This is the MYSTERY which the Apostle Paul received from the Lord and which he later disclosed in his letters to his converts (Eph.2:8-3:12 and Rom.16:25-26). This “MYSTERY OF GOD” — the grafting in of the Gentiles to the Gospel of God that was ordained for the children of Israel (and which was declared unto His servants, the prophets [of the Old Testament]) — will be brought to a close at the sounding of the Voice of the Seventh Star-Messenger to the Laodicean Church Age (Rev.10:7).
All those who are called into this Gospel of Christ have the same hope for there is only one Body of Christ as there is only one Spirit (Eph.4:4). However, not all who claim to be called are truly called by the Spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ. Many are called into a social gospel. There are those who follow the religious traditions and philosophy of men. Paul said that there is only “ONE LORD, ONE FAITH, ONE BAPTISM, ONE GOD and FATHER of all, Who is above all, and through all, and in you all” (Eph.4:5-6). But what do we have today? There are no less than 30,000 different sects and divisions among the 300-odd denominations in Christendom!
In the little text of Ephesians 4:4-6, Paul used the word “ONE” seven times to help us understand that the Gospel CALLING is related to the ONE (not two or three) PERSONALITY OF GOD. It is not (One) God in (another) God, or (One) God in three persons, but (One) God in the Man, Christ Jesus, reconciling the world to Himself (2 Cor.5:19; 1 Tim.3:16). Because there is only ONE BODY, there is only ONE SPIRIT of God, not Three Spirits (or 3 Persons) of God. The ONE and the SELFSAME SPIRIT (the Father – Jhn.14:10) that dwelled in Christ Jesus and raised Him up from the dead is the ONE that baptizes the believers into the ONE BODY of Christ. This is the essential ONE BAPTISM that puts a believer into the ONE BODY (1 Cor.12:13). There is only ONE LORD (not Three Lords); ONE GOD (not Three Gods), and FATHER of all, who is above all, and through all, and in all the saints.
Yes, all the “ONE” that Paul mentioned cannot be divided. Read Ephesians 1:10.
ISM
Ecumenism, Roman Catholicism, Protestantism, Pentecostalism, Charismaticism, Armstrongism, Branhamism, and whatever isms, are nothing but sects of people who propagate their doctrines and teachings according to their whims and fancies based on some religious books, creeds or dogmas, and calling themselves 'Christians'. Some of them may claim they are Bible believers or fundamentalists, and that their teachings are traced back to the Apostolic Fathers. Yet, in the face of the Word of God they are all false cults with filthy names of blasphemy (like the Beast of Revelation 13:1) — Presbyterian cult, Methodist cult, Lutheran cult, Mormon cult, Anglican cult, R.C. cult, Branhamite cult, Moonie cult, etc.. It does not matter whether they are radicals or so-called fundamentalists. The only true cult is one which is centred upon the Person of Christ and His Word. When a group of people devote themselves to some personality, like the Pope or a Faith Healer, or to certain religious and traditional church creeds or dogmas, and accept them as THE ABSOLUTE AUTHORITY, they form a personality cult or a false cult. It is idolatrous worship.
Today, Ecumenism, especially through glossolalia (Greek for “speaking in other tongues”) is gathering the various denominational faiths together into “One Faith” by promoting 'LOVE' among the people. This “oneness” is certainly not that which our Lord Jesus had prayed for (Jhn.17: 21-23). As long as the TRUTH of God is not the basis of fellowship, whatever and however LOVE is fostered, God is not in their midst. Only God's TRUTH can produce the TRUE LOVE (Agapao – 1 Jhn.4:16; 2 Jhn.1,2), otherwise it is only human emotion. Because God is TRUTH, He cannot be in the people unless they have the WORD. God is in His WORD, for God and His Word are ONE (Jhn.1:1). He is obligated only to His WORD. Where there is no WORD, there is no TRUTH (Jhn.17:17). And where there is no TRUTH, God is not there. “Can two walk together, except they be agreed?” (Amos 3:3). That's right. A Lutheran Trinitarian can and will walk with a Pentecostal Trinitarian — obviously because they are Trinitarians; likewise, a Roman Catholic Charismatic with an Anglican Charismatic — because they are Charismatics; and so with each of all the other different faiths. Those of the same faith will be able to see eye to eye with each other on their same beliefs. But to walk with God you have to agree with God and His Word, and not otherwise. You cannot take His Word to fit your belief. Your belief must be according to His Word. God's WORD is the FILTER of all our beliefs. It is every true spiritual thinking man's filter.
ONE FAITH
Hence, we realise that there is ONLY ONE TRUE FAITH, and it is definitely not among the numerous 'Christian' cults in Christendom. It is found only in that one mystical Body of Christ which is spread out throughout the world. This mystical Body of Christ, possessing the ONE TRUE FAITH, is not identified by a certain religious symbol or name. Yet, members of this ONE BODY are able to identify with one another, not by the individual confession (which is ever so sweet to the ears), but by the REVELATION OF THE SPIRIT OF GOD IN THE WORD. John the Beloved said:
“This then is the message which we have heard of Him, and declare unto you, that God is LIGHT, and in Him is NO DARKNESS (that is, NO SPIRITUAL DARKNESS, NO TRADITION) at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness (spiritually, traditionally), we lie, and do not the TRUTH: but if we walk in the LIGHT, as He is in the LIGHT, we have fellowship one with another, and the Blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanseth us from all sin.”
– 1 Jhn.1:5-7If anyone comes to you and say, “But this is not how our church sees it. We believe it this way...”, or “By the gifts of visions and dreams, God told us...”, or “Our prophet and our pastor said this...”, he is obviously walking in tradition and in darkness; he is definitely not walking in the LIGHT of the TRUTH of God's WORD.
WORD TEST
Give a Bible believer the Word Test. If he is truly born of the Incorruptible Word of God (1 Pet.1:23-25), he will believe every Word of God, not an iota less. Jesus Himself said:
“For everyone that doeth evil hateth the LIGHT, neither cometh to the LIGHT, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth TRUTH cometh to the LIGHT, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.”
– Jhn.3:20-21Amen! A true saint of God is not afraid of the LIGHT of God because his life and faith is wrought in God. But the make-believer and the unbeliever are not so; they will hide behind some traditions. They know that if they come to the LIGHT, IT will reprove them of their unbelief.
INHERITANCE
Now, along with every calling there is an inheritance. Unto all the saints, Paul wrote (in Ephesians 1:11-14) that “we have obtained an inheritance”, being predestinated by God, because we have believed in the Word of Truth, the Gospel of our salvation. In that, we have been “sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of His glory”.
What is this inheritance?
Although all the saints of God have obtained it, very few of them understand it. Most of them believe that the inheritance is eternal life. It is not so, although eternal life comes with that inheritance.
Even in the time of the Apostle Paul, not all did understand this Mystery of the Will of God which He had purposed in Himself. For he said that he ceased not to thank God and make mention of them in his prayer:
“That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him: the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of His calling, and what the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,”
– Eph.1:17-18“And [so that you can know and understand] what is the immeasurable and unlimited and surpassing greatness of His power in and for us who believe, as demonstrated in the working of His mighty strength, which He exerted in Christ…”
– Eph.1:19-20 (Amp.)The whole chapter of Ephesians 1 deals very simply with the Mystery of God's Will that He had purposed and set forth in Christ, in whom we the chosen ones, are set apart, before the foundation of the world. And we are to be adopted as God's own children and be positionally placed in the Body of Christ. Yet, simple as it is, it takes the Spirit of wisdom and revelation of the Lord to fully enlighten us to the realization of Christ's Inheritance in the Saints.
NAME
In the Book of Hebrews, Paul wrote how God had spoken to the Old Testament fathers in the prophets, and how He has now spoken unto us in His Son,
“Who being the brightness of His glory, and the express image of His person (Grk: substance), and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; being made so much better than the angels, as HE HATH BY INHERITANCE OBTAINED A MORE EXCELLENT NAME than they.”
– Heb.1:3-4 (cf. Phil.2:9-11)Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, has obtained an excellent NAME which is above every name in heaven and on earth. It is in this NAME that our salvation is founded and ordained of God even before the world began. The Kingdom of God revolves around this NAME.
Read what the angel said unto the virgin Mary:
“Behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call His name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of His father David: and He shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of His kingdom there shall be no end.”
– Lk.1:31-33The Father of Glory, the Creator of heavens and earth, Whose NAME is YHWH – YAHWEH (in the Hebrew tongue), had given His First Begotten Son the inheritance of the NAME YAHSHUA (or JESUS in Greek). YAHSHUA simply means GOD IS SAVIOUR. This NAME speaks of all that God is in His relationship with the redeemed. This is the very NAME of God Himself (Jhn.5:43). He is the Covenant-maker Who tasted death in order to fulfill His own covenant, as Paul so wrote in Hebrews 9:15-17:
“And for this cause He is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance. For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth.”
Amen! Blessed be the Name of the Lord!
BIRTHRIGHT — POSSESSION
God's New Testament came into force only by His own death — in the Person of His Son — that we who are the called might receive His Promise of that Eternal Inheritance which He had predestinated according to His own good pleasure in Christ Jesus. And that Eternal Inheritance is nothing less than the NAME OF YAHSHUA, the Messiah, or the LORD JESUS CHRIST!
Now, we know that it is ONLY BY BIRTH that a person possesses the NAME OF HIS FATHER. As it is in the natural, it is also true in the spiritual — “Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God:…” (1 Jhn.5:1a). Jesus the Christ was the Word of God made flesh (Jhn.1:14). And whosoever believes and is born of the incorruptible SEED-WORD of God (1 Pet.1:23) is “sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise” (Eph.1:13). Amen! And that “Holy Spirit of promise” is “the earnest (the down payment or guarantee) of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of His glory” (Eph.1:14).
Yes, every Bible believer, who is truly born again of the Spirit and the Word of God, possesses the NAME OF OUR SAVIOUR AND LORD — Christ Jesus! Amen!
[Note: Today, we see some self-styled 'Endtime Servants of God' who claim that they are the children of the Prophet Branham and are teaching others to serve the late prophet as their Christ (that is, the Lord Christ Branham). Such foolish cultic people are no different from those who had pledged allegiance to and had died for their religious power-hungry leader called 'Papa' Jim Jones, or those who now pledge their allegiance to a so-called 'Holy Father' on earth.]
It is the NAME of the Lord Jesus Christ that puts us in the family of God in which every member bears the same NAME. The NAME itself gives us the right to our possession which our Heavenly Father had laid up for us in Christ Jesus. Foremost, of course, is eternal life followed by all other things that God has put under the feet of our Lord Jesus Christ who is made the Head over all things to the Church, “which is His body, the fullness of Him that filleth all in all” (Eph.1:22-23).
NEW NAME
From the Apostles' writings, we understand that we were chosen before the foundation of the world and that our names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life (Phil.4:3; Rev.21:27). In order that we may obtain that LIFE, which is in the NAME of the Lamb of God, the Lamb had to be slain so that the LIFE and NAME could be imparted to us. Amen. Now, as the Lord Jesus had received His NEW NAME (Rev.19:12), we also shall receive ours, which the Heavenly Father had ordained for us before the world began (Rev.2:17). Moreover, to every overcomer, Christ has also promised, saying:
“I will write upon him the NAME OF MY GOD, and the NAME OF THE CITY OF MY GOD, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from My God: and I will write upon him MY NEW NAME.”
– Rev.3:12 (cf. Isa.62:2; Ezek.48:35)Hallelujah! Saints of God, we should count it all joy and a great day to have received the NAME of our Saviour, the LORD JESUS CHRIST — the day when we were born again of His Spirit and His Word. But can you imagine the greater joy you will feel on that day when the Lord Jesus Himself shall reveal unto each and every one of us our very own personal new name and write upon us the NAME OF GOD, THE NAME OF THE CITY OF GOD, and His NEW NAME! Praise the Lord! O, what a blessing!
“Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees; and make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way, but let it rather be healed. Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled; lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.”
– Heb.12:12-17
CHRISTIAN IN NAME
The 'Christian world', by and large, is made up of confused religious people who claim that they follow the teachings of the Bible. Today, there are about 30,000 Christian denominations, sects and divisions. 'Denominational Church' history has come a long way. From the time of the Apostles the antichrist spirit had gained entrance into the Church. This happened about the year 53 A.D. Tares were sown (Matt.13:24-30). Schism soon divided the Church (1 Cor.12:25). And even before the First Church Age (53-170 A.D.) had run its course, the antichrist spirit had inspired a sect called the Nicolaitans (whose deeds were evil) to conquer other worshippers of God (Rev.2:6). Somehow, this group usurped the authority of the Church to rule over the laity and other worshippers. The worshippers somehow subjected themselves to the 'laws' of the Nicolaitans which were contrary to the Word of God. The Word of God was then replaced with the teachings and doctrines brought into the Church by those 'conquerors'. They reserved certain rights for their own benefit at the expense of the rest of the church people. Thus, nicolaity prevailed with the clergy ruling over the laity. This was the beginning of the system of hierarchy, which is anti-Word.
The hierarchical system, which organized people into different ranks, was actually introduced into the Church during the Second Church Age (170-312 A.D.). The first church in Rome had turned the Word of God into a lie by introducing a pagan religion with Christian names and meaning. This church was later called the Roman Catholic Church. It was this “Mother Church” that gave birth to all the organized (denominational) churches in the 'Christian world'. The Bible calls the Roman Catholic Church “Mystery, Babylon the Great, the Mother of Harlots and Abominations of the Earth”.
Yes, she is the HARLOT CHURCH. She is not the VIRGIN CHURCH that is espoused to Christ Jesus (Matt.25:1; 2 Cor.11:2). She is the (organized) Mother Church which gave birth to all her rebellious (denominational) Daughter Churches. They had all been separated from one another, but are now coming back together as ONE BIG FAMILY OF HARLOTS under the ECUMENICAL MOVEMENT. They are the TARES being gathered together for the burning (Matt.13:24-30).
GOD IS IN HIS WORD
Did not Jesus say that whosoever worship God must worship Him in Spirit and in Truth? Those whose minds are not centred on the Spirit and the Word will find themselves vulnerable to the spirit of nicolaity. We would see a group formed and then, little by little, they would drift away from the pattern of the Word. And, when there is no Word and no moving of the Spirit, they would be left with a substitute and a form of worship. And substitution spells Balaamism. That's right. That's exactly what is happening in the Endtime Message Movement and all the other Christian Movements. All it takes is to get just one word changed and that little leaven would then leaven the whole lump. Remember, he that offends in one point of the law is guilty of all.
From the Second Church Age up to this day, many organized groups have flourished. Though they all bear the name 'Christian' or call themselves 'Bible believing people', God has never been in their midst. The Roman Catholics, the Lutherans, the Baptists, the Methodists, the Presbyterians, the Pentecostals, the Charismatics, and whatever they are, may claim that God is in their respective denomination by reason of the number of new converts being added to their membership lists each year. This is a carnal reasoning because there are many other non-Bible religious organizations which boast of record numbers of new converts every year.
GOD IS IN HIS WORD. He is not obligated to a person, a people, or a church organisation. He is obligated to His Word. Where the Word is, the Spirit of God is there. But, it will always be a minority of people that will believe and receive His Word.
When the church was so organized in the Fifth Church Age (1520-1750 A.D.), God gave Martin Luther the revelation of His Truth on justification. As hard as he preached, there was but a small number of people who received the Truth. And God was with this group of true worshippers. However, after the death of Luther, his followers began to organize themselves under the influence of that spirit of anti-christ which was anti-WORD. God had to leave that Lutheran Church because God is LIGHT (TRUTH) and therefore could not mix with DARKNESS (RELIGIOUS TRADITIONS of men) for in Him there is no DARKNESS at all (1 Jhn.1:5-7). Yet, the Lutheran organization grew and gained an increasing number of new converts to their creeds and dogmas, which they substituted for the Truth, instead of the WORD OF GOD.
With the passage of time, God began to raise up other Godly men to bring His Truth to His people. One of them was John Wesley. He was the Messenger to the Sixth Church Age (1750-1906 A.D.). After he was strongly opposed by the organized churches for his stand on the Word of God, Wesley turned to preach the Gospel together with another man of God called George Whitefield. He based his eternal life on faith and lived a sanctified life. He was against the adoption of doctrinal statements and creeds. He was not in favour of an organized church. He once remarked that he did not fear that the name of Methodist would leave the earth, but rather fear that the Spirit might take His flight.
Well, just as soon as the Methodists organized, the Spirit did in fact take His flight. When Methodism tried to lead the church, they literally ousted the leadership of the Holy Spirit. And they had religious programmes as substitutes. They made the converts turn to their denominational way of life rather than to the Truth of God. (The same is true of the Branhamites who make converts to 'The Spoken Word' books and tapes of William Branham rather than the Divine Word (Logos) of God.)
SATAN'S WORLD
Satan has been vigorously building his empire in the 'Christian world'. His empire began to expand when the “Mother of Harlots” came upon the scene. From about the 16th Century, the birth of Lutheranism gave rise to the formation of several different CAMPS within the denomination. The devil also took the Radical Sects to produce the Anabaptists, the Baptists, the Mennonites, the Seventh Day Adventists, the Quakers, the Unitarian Churches, etc. Each group has staked its claim for a place in THE CHURCH OF THE ALMIGHTY GOD. Each group has erected a gate bearing ITS OWN NAME. And from the Church of England, Satan produced the Methodists, the Protestant Episcopal Church, the Salvation Army, etc.; and from Calvinism he produced the Presbyterians, the Disciples of Christ, the Churches of Christ, etc. Many of the groups use the term 'Christian' in their names which they place upon THEIR GATES that they have erected in the 'Christian world'. Today, we have the Pentecostalists, the Charismatics, the Branhamites, the Moonies, etc., added to the already divided 'Christian' camp of about 30,000 denominational cults and sects. Each and every one of them is claiming a PLACE in the “CHURCH”.
GOD'S CHOSEN PLACE OF WORSHIP
Friends, God is a Spirit. He does not allow men to have Him cooped up in their beautifully decorated four-wall building with a steeple above its roof. You cannot take some religious songs and programmes, or point to some healings, miracles and gifts, or some religious dogmas, books or tapes, and claim that “God is here”. God is not subjected or obligated to men, who may be highly intellectual, highly educated in theological seminaries or very gifted in certain things. God is obligated only to His own Word and to keeping His own promises. He is alive and leading the way of every true child who would follow wherever His Word leads him.
In the Book of Deuteronomy, where instructions regarding the keeping of the Feast of Unleavened Bread (or Passover), Feast of Weeks (or Pentecost) and Feast of Tabernacles, were given to the children of Israel, Moses specifically commanded them to observe the Feasts only at the PLACE WHERE GOD CHOSE TO PUT HIS NAME and not at any of their gates. He said:
“Thou shalt therefore SACRIFICE the PASSOVER unto the Lord thy God, of the flock and the herd, IN THE PLACE WHICH THE LORD SHALL CHOOSE TO PLACE HIS NAME THERE...Thou mayest NOT sacrifice the Passover WITHIN ANY OF THY GATES, which the Lord thy God giveth thee: BUT AT THE PLACE WHICH THE LORD THY GOD SHALL CHOOSE TO PLACE HIS NAME IN, there thou shalt sacrifice the Passover at even, at the going down of the sun,... And thou shall roast and EAT IT IN THE PLACE WHICH THE LORD THY GOD SHALL CHOOSE: and thou shalt TURN IN THE MORNING, and GO UNTO THY TENTS.”
– Deut.16:2,5-7[Note: In Biblical time, the gate was an important part of a city or camp. It provided the only means of passing through the wall or fence. The gate was usually the place of public concourse. Much of the legal business was done here (Ruth 4:11). The word “gate” therefore spoke of the power and dominion of the whole dwelling place of the people (Gen.22:17).]
The children of Israel comprised twelve tribes. There were twelve different camps with twelve gates (Rev.21:12), but they were forbidden to sacrifice their Passover at any of their gates. The Passover was to be taken and sacrificed only at a CHOSEN PLACE “without the camp” of the whole of Israel.
The PASSOVER signified that Death had skipped over and that Life had been given.
We know that Jesus Christ was the true type of the Passover. He was the PASSOVER OF GOD. After He had finished His ministry, He was taken and crucified outside the city of Jerusalem. He died on the day of preparation for the Feast of the Passover “at even, at the going down of the sun”. Jerusalem was a holy city with holy people, but the PASSOVER OF GOD could not be sacrificed within that camp (city) for the people had rejected Him (Psm.122; Matt.23:37-39).
“Wherefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered without the gate. Let us go forth therefore unto Him without the camp, bearing His reproach.”
– Heb.13:12-13Even before the foundation of the world, God knew that the various religious (cultic) CAMPS – the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the Zealots, the Scribes and all the others – would never accept what He had to give them. He foreknew that Jesus had to be taken out of their GATES to be sacrificed. In His foreknowledge, God knew ONE PLACE only was suitable, WHERE HE COULD CHOOSE TO SACRIFICE HIS PASSOVER, and that was IN HIS WORD! The Lamb of God was slain before the foundation of the world (Rev.13:8) in the Thought of God as He counselled with Himself (Eph.1). And when His THOUGHT was EXPRESSED, the Will of God was done! And thus was it fulfilled.
Yes, beloved of Christ, our PASSOVER was sacrificed in THE PLACE WHERE GOD HAD CHOSEN TO PLACE HIS HOLY NAME! Hallelujah! And that was in THE WORD!
HIS PASSOVER, BEARING HIS NAME, IS IN HIS WORD! YAHSHUA (Grk: IESOUS – JESUS) is the NAME of God which is placed in the LOGOS. About 2000 years ago, IT became flesh and dwelled among men. The PASSOVER of God was the very WORD of God made manifest in flesh. Hence, the ALMIGHTY GOD (Heb: YAHWEH) is in His Word because His REDEEMING NAME (Heb: YAHSHUA) is placed there. Praise the Lord! Can you see it, saints of God?
EVENING…MORNING
Have you noticed that the Feast of the Passover was the first of the Seven Feasts of Jehovah (see Leviticus 23) and that it was the only one that was carried out at the evening time? Did you notice also that the flesh of the Passover, which was sacrificed and eaten at the evening time, could not be left till the morning?
Why?
The evening time is a time of darkness. It is a time when living things lie down to sleep. It signifies “death”. On the other hand, the morning hour is a period of daylight when living things, having rested through the night, are revived. They are vibrant with “life”, so to speak.
Corresponding to that, Jesus Christ died once only, at the evening time on the 14th day of Abib (Nisan), the Passover Day. (Read Leviticus 23.) He was taken and buried in a tomb. His body “rested” and “slept” through the Sabbath Day (15th Abib). On the day after the Sabbath, which was the Feast of First Fruits (16th Abib), He arose (resurrected) from his “sleep” in the grave at the break of dawn. Life came in the morning, and it was the beginning of a New Day — a New Life! He was the Sheaf of Firstfruits gathered from the Field of Harvest and waved before God (1 Cor.15:20-23).
Therefore, let us rejoice and be glad! For we have ceased from our wandering and going astray since He came into our hearts and gave us the Spiritual Sabbath (Rest)! (Read Hebrews 4.) Amen!
[Note: The teaching that Jesus Christ was crucified on Wednesday evening and resurrected on Saturday morning — a period of 72 hours — is a theory which has no basis in the Word of God. The Feasts of Jehovah reflect the Truth that Christ Jesus died on Friday evening (the day of preparation for the passover) and resurrected on Sunday morning, which is the day for the waving of the sheaf of the firstfruits of the harvest before the Lord.]
All true children of God are REBORN once by receiving the LIFE that the PASSOVER OF GOD had provided. Notice that the Word of Life came to the people of God at the close (the evening time) of each of the Seven Church Ages. That should then cause them to “turn in the morning, and go unto thy tents” — their place of rest in the Presence of the Son of God (2 Pet.1:19; Rev.22:16,17). Have you?
The Cross was a feast to Jehovah. It gave Him back more than sin had robbed Him of. Life was returned to His children. The night was gone. Death had passed. Dawn had broken through, and Life was here to stay! Amen!
UNLEAVENED BREAD
“Thou shalt eat no leavened bread with it; seven days shalt thou eat unleavened bread therewith, even the bread of affliction; for thou camest forth out of the land of Egypt in haste:... And there shall be no leavened bread seen with thee in all thy coast seven days; neither shall there any thing of the flesh which thou sacrificedst the first day at even, remain all night until the morning.”
– Deut.16:3,4Throughout the Seven Church Ages, true worshippers of God who had accepted the PASSOVER of God (which was sacrificed for them) had eaten IT together with the Unleavened Bread of God's Word. The LIFE of the PASSOVER OF GOD, which returned on the Day of Pentecost upon the true worshippers, was the very Life of Christ Himself. Therefore, to eat of the “flesh” of this PASSOVER correctly, the true worshippers must eat IT together with the Unleavened Bread of God's Word Which is THE TRUTH. “Thy Word is Truth” (Jhn.17:17). And the LIFE IS IN THE WORD OF GOD! IT IS SPIRIT AND IT IS LIFE! Amen! (Read John 1:4; 6:48-58.) The NAME of the Lord Jesus is LIFE itself (Acts 2:21; Rom.10:13). Hence, how could there be LIFE in a worshipper if he partakes the leavened bread of men and of church traditions? (cf. Matt.16: 6,11,12). See? “...there shall be no leavened bread seen with thee…” Think about it!
While the Unleavened Bread of God was given to sustain the true worshippers in ages past, many had also eaten the bread of affliction. Countless millions had even laid down their lives for the FAITH, especially during the Dark Ages.
A SOLEMN ASSEMBLY
“Six days thou shalt eat unleavened bread: and on the SEVENTH DAY shall be a solemn assembly to the Lord thy God: thou shalt do no work therein.”
– Deut.16:8Brethren, it is in this Seventh Church Age that the Lord God has called for a solemn assembly of true worshippers. In the other six ages, the believers had eaten of the Unleavened Bread of Life that God had apportioned to them. But this is the only age that He has designated a solemn assembly and a rest day. This is the crucial hour in which the assembly of true believers needs to be very serious about the Word of Life. The Word of Truth can never be over-emphasized. WE ARE BEING GATHERED TOGETHER UNTO HIM. Hence, true Bible believers everywhere ought to get in line with the Truth and have “an ear to hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches” (Rev.3:22) that they may stand as a worthy member of the Bride before Him.
FEASTING IN HIS NAME
Everyday, throughout the world, there are religious feastings in every kind of 'church' camp. Though all of them may hold their feasts in the Name of the Lord Jesus (Matt.18:20), they are actually gathering together under the banner (power) of the various names of their gates. And, sadly, they are feasting on the wrong types of food. The people are feasting on all types of junk food on the menus and recipes of man-made creeds, dogmas and church traditions. They are partaking of leavened foods which are not fit for the souls. And in some `filthy' camps they even have so-called Christian feasts (festivals) like Christmas, Easter, Lent, etc.
But we know that there is ONLY ONE FEAST that we are told to keep (cf. 1 Cor.5:7-8) and ONLY ONE PLACE that true feasting is held, and that is IN THE PLACE WHERE GOD HAD CHOSEN TO PLACE HIS NAME! AND THAT NAME OF GOD IS PLACED IN HIS WORD! See? It is not in the name or place of any church organization because God is not found there. God is in His Word, Which is the Revelation and the Spirit of the LOGOS, and not in the literal printed words on the pages of the Holy Scriptures that you possess. Therefore, there is no other place that a person can truly worship God and feast with Him other than in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, which is ZOE (LIFE) itself placed in the very LOGOS of God!
Notice that the Feasts of Jehovah were so called because they were Jehovah's Feasts. They were not the Feasts of Israel. And unless you are called to bear that Same Name and wear the Same Garment (Matt.22:1-14), you cannot be gathered there, at that place, where God had put His Name for the FEAST. Remember that we have but ONE BODY, ONE SPIRIT, ONE HOPE, ONE LORD, ONE FAITH, ONE BAPTISM, ONE GOD AND FATHER OF ALL (Eph.4:4-6). Thus, in feasting, there cannot be any division among the people who are bidden to the occasion. Though we are all made differently and placed in different positions (1 Cor.12:12-27), we ought to have that ONE MIND and be in ONE ACCORD IN THAT SOLEMN ASSEMBLY OF WORSHIPPING BELIEVERS. Amen! That is possible because God Himself is right in the midst of the feasting! There just cannot be any discrepancy in the place where the Lord had chosen “to make His Name [and His Presence] dwell” there (Deut.16:2, Amp.).
Hallelujah! I am glad THE NAME OF GOD IS IN HIS WORD, AND THAT THE WORD IS HIS CHOSEN PLACE OF WORSHIP BECAUSE HIS NAME IS PLACED THERE! And that gathering in His Name (in the revelation of His Word) is the blessing of our rights when we inherit the Blessed Name of our God — YAHSHUA!
GOD IN HIS WORD, GOD IN HIS SON, GOD IN HIS CHURCH
The NAME of God cannot be separated from His WORD. Biblical study shows that the name of a person characterizes his personality. (Just study the characters of Jacob and Saul of Tarsus, and find out how a change of names had affected their lives.) Now, the PERSONAL NAME of God is YAHWEH. (God has many TITLE-NAMES as well.) YAHWEH means The Eternal One, the Immutable One (Gen.21:33). But when His WORD took the form of flesh to redeem mankind, He took the Name YAHSHUA, meaning SAVIOUR (Lk.1:31). Thus, the NAME and the WORD of the Almighty God are the self-same PERSONALITY. (Read John 5:43; 10:30; 14:20.)
Brethren: are you really serious when you claim the NAME of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ? If you are, then you ought to realize now (if you have never realized before) the importance of that GLORIOUS NAME OF THE HEAVENLY FATHER which Jesus had declared to His people. It is in that NAME that God's chosen ones are gathered and united as one body (Jhn.17:21-26).
Yes, the revelation of Truth is made known to us in this closing hour. This is the hour when the final revelation (the Seventh Seal that holds the Seven Thunders) will be revealed only to the Bride of Christ to usher in the translation of the saints of God. That's the reason why we, as an assembly, must solemnly come before the throne of the WORD of God to be judged as to how fruitful we are in the Life which we possess and of the TRUTH which we have been so instructed just as Israel did. (Read Deuteronomy 16:8-17.) Although it hurts when God's Truth corrects us, if we conform to the WORD, It will set us free.
ALL THESE could only be carried out properly at FEASTING TIME in a PLACE where God had CHOSEN to put His NAME and make His PRESENCE known. If we are the true worshippers of God, then the NAME of God, which was first placed in His Own WORD, and later in the flesh of the Son of God, is also placed in us. Amen! It was first placed in His Apostles (Jhn.20:22) and the rest of the 120 disciples back there in the Upper Room on the Day of Pentecost (Feast of Weeks – read Deuteronomy 16:10-11,16) when the Holy Spirit came upon them. Yes, beloved of God, we have inherited His Great Glorious Name! It is Christ's inheritance in the saints! We are His inheritance! (Read Romans 8:30; Galatians 1:24; 2 Thessalonians 1:10-12; 2 Corinthians 5:18-20). Therefore, let us walk worthy of the Lord and of the vocation wherewith we are called (Col.1:10; Eph.4:1). And “whoso keepeth His WORD, in him verily is the LOVE of God PERFECTED: hereby know we that we are in Him. He that saith he ABIDETH in Him ought himself also so to WALK, even as He walked” (1 Jhn.2:5-6).
Finally, brethren, as we feast now at the table, which our Heavenly Father has spread for us, in that inherited NAME and WORD (this is the only Christian Feast), we are assured of a place at the table of that great Wedding Feast (Supper) which will be held soon. And we will also rule with Him for a thousand years upon His Glorious return to earth (Rev.20:6). Amen! For we are the purchased Bride of Christ, espoused as a chaste virgin unto the Lord Jesus, and have drank of the same cup over which the betrothal benediction had been pronounced at the covenant of our Lord's last supper (Lk.22:20; 1 Cor.10:16-17; 11:26). Blessed be the Name of the Lord!
However, precious brethren, the Reign of Christ Jesus over His Millennial Kingdom upon the earth is only a preliminary reign before the dawn of that great eternal “eighth day” of the Feast of Tabernacles (cf. Lev.23:39). On that day, the last two chapters of the Book of Revelation will be the fulfillment of Deuteronomy 16:13-16, when God Himself shall tabernacle in His (Bride-)Wife — the “Holy City, New Jerusalem” — who are called by His NAME, to dwell among the nations of redeemed people. Glory to His Name!
Maranatha! Even so, come Lord Jesus!
