The church is guilty of profanity (part two)

The Lord has charged the princes and priests of Israel (the church) for violating His law. This law which the princes and priests have violated and found guilty of profanity, is the law of the priest in regards to their service in the temple of God.

For thus says the Lord; “And now, O priests, this commandment is for you. If you will not hear, and if you will not take it to heart, To give glory to My name," Says the LORD of hosts; " I will send a curse upon you, And I will curse your blessings. Yes, I have cursed them already, because you do not take it to heart.

The first duty of the priest is to give glory to the name of the Lord, and for this reason they have been instructed saying; “Give to the LORD, O families of the peoples, Give to the LORD glory and strength. Give to the LORD the glory due His name; bring an offering, and come into His courts. Oh, worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness! Tremble before Him, all the earth” (Psalms 96: 7-9).

Now in order to carry out this function effectively, the priests are required to be holy, for thus says the Lord; “They shall be holy to their God and not profane the name of their God, for they offer the offerings of the LORD made by fire, and the bread of their God; therefore they shall be holy.” And what makes them holy according to the scripture is; “Then Aaron and his sons shall eat the flesh of the ram, and the bread that is in the basket, by the door of the tabernacle of meeting. They shall eat those things with which the atonement was made, to consecrate and to sanctify them; but an outsider shall not eat them, because they are holy.

 (Leviticus 21:6; Exodus 29:32-33).

The final instructions David gave concerning the duties of the priests in the house of the Lord was that they were “To stand every morning to thank and praise the LORD, and likewise at evening; and at every presentation of a burnt offering to the LORD on the Sabbaths and on the New Moons and on the set feasts, by number according to the ordinance governing them, regularly before the LORD; and that they should attend to the needs of the tabernacle of meeting, the needs of the holy place, and the needs of the sons of Aaron their brethren in the work of the house of the LORD” (1Chronicles 23: 30-32).

The church is guilty of the same offense, since it is "A chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own special people, called to proclaim the praises of Him who called them out of darkness into His marvelous light."  The church is  also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ (1Peter 2:9, 5).

The admonition given to the church is;  "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God' (Romans 12:1-2).

The reason for having been delivered from the hand of our enemies is that the church might serve the Lord  without fear, in holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our life. And there is only one way by which this can be accomplished in a manner that is acceptable to God, is by being holy, in order to offer to the Lord the food for His offerings at its appointed time.

To this end the church has been cautioned saying: " Command the children of Israel, and say to them, 'My offering, My food for My offerings made by fire as a sweet aroma to Me, you shall be careful to offer to Me at their appointed time' (Numbers 28:2).

This sweet aroma is Jesus Christ whom we have been admonished to be, "Imitators of God as dear children and walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma" (Ephesians 5:2).

The question is, how long will the church continue to profane God?

Is the Church guilty of profanity?

Is the church, the body of Christ, the sacred house of God, the pillar of the truth, despite the zeal, enthusiasm, the passion, and the love they think that they have for God be guilty of profanity?

Profanity is a term which denotes an act of irreverence, blasphemous, showing contempt or disregard toward something holy; it is synonymous to treating something sacred as it should not be treated. Therefore, is the church guilty of irreverence and blasphemy, for showing contempt or disregard to God, treating Him and His holy things in a way that they should not be treated, and even substituting God's holy things for secular and worldly things?

This is a serious indictment, and everyone should seriously consider those charges to ascertain that they are not found guilty as charged.

There are Five counts of profanity that have been filled against the church, the Israel of God by the Lord Himself. Now in the event that one would like to exclude him/herself from these charges, he/she should first be reminded of who is the true Israel of God. And so we find written in the scripture; “I tell the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit, that I have great sorrow and continual grief in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my countrymen according to the flesh, who are Israelites, to whom pertain the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service of God, and the promises; of whom are the fathers and from whom, according to the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, the eternally blessed God. Amen.

But it is not that the word of God has taken no effect. For they are not all Israel who are of Israel, nor are they all children because they are the seed of Abraham; but, "In Isaac your seed shall be called." That is, those who are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God; but the children of the promise are counted as the seed” (Romans 9:1-8).

The scripture further states that; “Just as Abraham "believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness." Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, "In you all the nations shall be blessed." So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham” (Galatians 3:6-9).

Therefore the charges which the Lord have filled against the princes and priests of Israel are applicable to the church the Israel of God, and thus says the Lord to the prophet Ezekiel; “Her priests have violated My law and profaned My holy things; they have not distinguish between the holy and unholy, nor have they made known the difference between the unclean and the clean; and they have hidden their eyes from My Sabbaths, so that I am profaned among them.” (Ezekiel 22:26)

The Lord has filed a complaint against His people; He has charged them with five (5) counts of profanity, what is your personal verdict on those charges, guilty or not guilty?

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We will in the coming articles examine closely these charges to see whether we are exonerated and free from all guilt, or guilty in some, and not guilty in others.
These times of ignorance God has overlooked, and now commands all men everywhere to repent.

When is the beginning of a new day (continued)

The resurrection of Jesus Christ, also confirms that the Sabbath/s ends at sunset, and the day itself, ends at the dawn of the day. As it is written; “Now when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, that they might come and anoint Him.” (Mark 16:1).

This Sabbath although not referring to the weekly Sabbath, but the Sabbath which followed the Passover, that is, the High Day Sabbath or the Feast of Unleavened Bread, as alluded to by the apostle Luke who wrote saying; “That day was the preparation, and the Sabbath drew near. And the women who had come with Him from Galilee followed after, and they observed the tomb and how His body was laid. Then they returned and prepared spices and fragrant oils, and they rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment” (Luke 24: 54-56).

Let us not forget the Jesus Christ spent three nights and three days in the heart of the earth, and not a day and a half, as commonly assumed. Then according to Mark’s gospel; “Very early in the morning, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen” …”Now when He rose early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven demons” (Mark 16:2, 9).

Now according to the gospel of Matthew, “Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn [again confirming that, it is at the dawn of the day the new day begins, because dawn is the beginning of the day, the first light in the east], Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb, and behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door and sat on it. His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow, and the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men” (Matthew 28:1-4).

John also confirmed that it was; “On the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb, then she ran and came to Simon Peter, and the other disciples, whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him” (John 20:1-2).

The error I think that most of us have made in the past, and some are still making, is making the preparation day a part of the Sabbath. The preparation day is not a part of the Sabbath day, it is the day before any Sabbath day, on which preparations are made, to celebrate the Sabbath. It is a period of time when one has to prepare him/herself mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually, so as to be in a state of readiness, and come to present themselves before the Lord, and ascribing to the Lord the glory due to His name, to bring and offering, and to worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.

The Sabbath Day consists of how many hours?

The Sabbath Day consists of how many hours?

It should be absolutely clear and conclusive, that a day which begins in the morning, and ends at the approaching of dawn next day consists of 24 hours, as alluded to by Jesus Himself who said; “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. But if one walks in the night, he stumbles, because, the light is not in him” (John 11:9-10).

Has it ever crossed our minds, to ask, why evening and morning, are mentioned as being the first day, second day, third day, fourth day, fifth day, and six day; but no mention of evening as part of the seventh day? What is written about the seventh day is this; “And on the seventh day God ended His work which He has done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His works which God had created and made” (Genesis 2:2-3).

The exclusion of the evening from the seventh day is very important, because the Sabbath is a period of time which is sanctified, and set apart as holy to the Lord, who is light, and in Him is no darkness at all. The Lord has absolutely no fellowship with darkness, and therefore from the very beginning, He divided the light from the darkness, and excluded the Sabbath from darkness. For thus says the Lord Almighty; “My name will be great among the nations, from the rising to the setting of the sun. In every place incense (prayer) and pure offerings will be brought to My name, because My name will be great among the nations (Malachi 1:11).

Note carefully, it is not from the rising of the sun, to the rising of the sun, or from the setting of the sun, to the setting of the sun, which would include the night period, but it is from the rising of the sun, to the setting of the sun, which comprise only the day light part of the day. Again the Lord says; “I am the Lord, and there is no other; apart from Me there is no God. I will strengthen you, though you have not acknowledged Me, so that from the rising of the sun to the place of its setting men may know there is none besides Me. I am the Lord, and there is no other” (Isaiah 45:5-6).

Let us first of all commence with the children of Israel wandering in the wilderness, and to whom the Lord said; remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the Sabbath day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work; you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your man servant, nor your maid servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates: For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath and hallowed it (Exodus 20:8-11).

As we have already proved with the example of the manna, the Sabbath begins in the morning, but at what time does it ends? The instructions regarding the observance of the Sabbath is very clear, it states; “From evening to evening, you shall celebrate your Sabbath” (Leviticus 23:32).

Meaning that, the Sabbath is the day period between two evenings. It begins at the end of the evening of the sixth day, and ends at the beginning of the evening of the seventh day, immediately following the Sabbath. Therefore only the daylight part of the Sabbath day, that constitutes the Sabbath/s.

We see for example the ruler of the synagogue who was very indignant, because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, said to the crowd; “There are six days on which men ought to work; therefore come and be healed on them, and not on the Sabbath day” (Luke 13”14).

But soon after Sabbath sunset, they brought to Him all who were sick, and demon possessed. As it is written; “Now, when the sun was setting, all those who had anyone sick with various diseases brought them to Him; and He laid His hands on every one of them and healed them” (Luke 4 40).

“When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed: And He cast out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick” (Matthew 8:16).

“Now at evening, when the sun had set, they brought to Him all who were sick and those who were demon possessed. And the whole city was gathered together at the door. Then He healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and He did not allow the demons to speak, because they knew Him” (Mark 1: 32-34).

Please note carefully that when one is fasting on the Day of Atonement which is on the tenth day of the seventh month and asked to begin afflicting the soul the evening before, the evening before is not regarded as part or beginning of the tenth day, but rather the evening of the ninth day, confirming without a shadow of doubt that a day does not begin in the evening as many are claiming it to be.

To be continued

Day is separated from Night

It is quite evident that God makes a clear distinction between day and night, because from the inception, when God renewed the face of the earth He divided the light from the darkness, and the light He called day, and the darkness He called night. The separation of day and night is of such intrinsic importance, that important events are clearly differentiated by the inclusion of the phrase, day and night. Here are some examples:-

When the Lord instructed Noah to go into the ark, He specifically said to him; “For after seven more days I will cause it to rain on the earth, forty days and forty nights”…‘And the rain was on the earth forty days and forty nights” (Genesis 7:4,120).

2.      When Moses went up to receive the Ten Commandments, it is stated that; “…Moses went into the midst of the cloud and went up into the mountain. And Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights” (Exodus 24: 18).

3.       After the first set of Tablets of stone were broken, because the children of Israel were worshiping the golden calf which Aaron had made, Moses went and have the Covenant renewed, and again, “…He was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights; he neither eat bread nor drank water,   and he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments” (Exodus 34:28).

4.      When the Lord prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah, he was in the belly of the fish,”Three days and three nights” (Jonah 1:17).

5.      Before Jesus Christ began His ministry, He was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil, and when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterwards He was hungry” (Matthew 4:1-2).

6.      To prove to the Scribes and Pharisees who asked for a sign, to prove that He is the Messiah, Jesus said to them; “An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days, and three nights in the heart of the earth” (Matthew 12: 39-40).

A day therefore is made up of two periods of time, the first period is called day, and the other period is called night. To those who hold tenaciously to the belief that the day begins in the evening, whether sunset or at midnight, how do we reconcile this belief with the following directives:

a.        “On the tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement; it shall be for you a time of holy convocation, and you shall afflict yourselves [fast] and present an offering by fire to the Lord.’ “…It shall be to you a Sabbath of solemn rest, and you shall afflict yourselves; on the ninth day of the month beginning at evening, from evening to evening shall you keep your Sabbath” (Leviticus 23: 27, 32).

The question is, if the day as generally believes begins in the evening, a period of twelve hours of darkness, why is the evening which begins the fast on the Day of Atonement is attributed to the ninth day, and not be named the evening of the tenth day?

b.        The Manna was a sign to test, and prove to the children of Israel that the Lord is their God. For thus the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you, and the people shall go and gather a certain Quota every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in My law or not. And it shall be on the sixth day that they shall prepare what they bring in, and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily” (Exodus 16:4-5).

So, I beg to ask the question, at what time they gathered the manna! And the durability of the manna was it not from morning until morning? So then, when did the day begin! In the evening or in the morning? The Lord said to Moses again; “I have heard the murmuring of the children of Israel. Speak to them saying, at twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread. And you shall know that I am the Lord your God.’ So it was that quails came up at evening and covered the camp, and in the morning the dew lay all around the camp.” And Moses instructed them saying; “Let no one leave any of it till morning” (Exodus 16: 12-13, 19).

Again I pose the question, when did the day begin, was it in the evening, or in the morning? “Notwithstanding they did not listen to Moses, but some of them left part of it until morning, and it bred worms and stank. And Moses was angry with them” (Exodus 16:20).

Then came the sixth day when they gathered twice as much bread, because Moses said to them; “This is what the Lord has said; “Tomorrow is a Sabbath rest, a holy Sabbath to the Lord. Bake what you will bake today, and boil what you will boil; and lay up for yourselves all that remains, to be kept until morning.” So they laid it up till morning, as Moses commanded; and it did not stink, nor were there any worms in it. Then Moses said, “Eat that today, for today is a Sabbath to the Lord; today you shall not find it in the field. Six days you shall gather it, but on the seventh day, which is the Sabbath, there will be none” (Exodus 16: 23-26).

I beg to ask the question again; at what time did they go out to gather on the seventh day, and did not find any, was it in the evening, or in the morning? “Now it happened that some of the people went out on the seventh day to gather, but they found none. And the Lord said to Moses; “How long do you refuse to keep My commandments and My laws? See! For the Lord has given you the Sabbath therefore He gives you on the sixth day bread for two days. Let every man remain in his place; let no man go out of his place on the seventh day.’ So the people rested on the seventh day” (Exodus 16:27-30).

Remember the manna was a daily quota, it was gathered in the morning, and expired next morning, it had a life expectancy of just one day. It was only on the sixth day that its edibility was extended to another day to accommodate the Sabbath rest. Therefore, all the days of the week begins at the dawn of the day, and ends at the dawn of the new day. The evening is a period of time which separated a day from the other.

These times of ignorance God has overlooked but now commands all men everywhere to repent. Ignorance of the law is no excuse.

To be continued

Distinction between light and darkness

Light and darkness represents two diametrical kingdoms. For example in the future, the city of the New Jerusalem will have no need of the sun, or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God will illuminate it, and the lamb will be its light. The day light period from all indications, depicts or is synonymous to life, truth, and a new beginning; while night on the other hand, depicts or is synonymous to death, lies, and every evil way. Light and darkness, similarly to good and evil, manifested themselves in the world, by two different methods. For thus says the Lord; “I form the light and create darkness, I bring prosperity and create disaster; I, the Lord, do all these things” (Isaiah 45:7).

To form something, is to be the founder, or the actual maker of the thing formed; whereas to create, is to put something in place, that causes something to happen. Light, goodness, prosperity are the works of God’s hand, he actually formed them, and brought them to existence, for it is written; “This is the verdict; light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God” (John 3:19-21).

It is said that, “The path of therighteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of day. But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble” (Proverbs 4:18-19).

Darkness, evil, and disaster is the way of sin, they originated from another source which God created, and caused darkness, evil, and disaster to occur. For it is written; “You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your fathers desire. He was a murderer from the beginning; not holding to the truth [light], for there is no truth [light] in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44).

The contrast between day and night, light and darkness, can also be proven by analyzing several scriptures, which quoted Jesus as saying; “I am the light of the world. He who follows me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work.” …”Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of the world.’ “But if one walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.” Again Jesus said; “A little while longer the light is with you. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going; while you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light…” (John 8:12; John 9:4; John 11: 9-10; John 12: 35-36).

Darkness on the other hand is depicted as having everything to do with what is evil, for it is written; “The night is far spent, the day is at hand, therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in licentiousness and lewdness, not in strife and envy” (Romans 13:12-13).

We have been admonished therefore saying; “Walk in the light, for you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord, walk as children of light…And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret. But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light” (Ephesians 5:8, 11-13).

Children of God are not of the night, nor of darkness, for it is stated; “But you brethren, are not in darkness, so that this day should overtake you as a thief. You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness, therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night, but let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breast plate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation” ( 1 Thessalonians 5:4-8)

God has overlooked these times of ignorance, and now commands all men everywhere to repent.
To be continued.

When is the beginning of a New Day!

When is the Beginning of a New Day?

Some people are so naive, and fearful of rocking the boat, and challenging the status quo, and to stop following the customs and traditions of men, are suspicious of anyone, who is attempting to bring the truth to light, and perceive them as self-seeking individuals, who is trying to change the world. Make no mistake, the world cannot be changed, it is in vain for anyone to attempt doing it. The world is on a collision course which cannot be stopped, and the only solution is to follow the Lord’s warning which says; “…Come out of her, my people, lest you receive of her plagues; for her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities” (Revelation 18:4-5).

Now since we all know in part, and prophesy (teach) in part, we should have an open mind, and be willing to change, whenever truth presents itself. Because one thing is sure, any thesis, or theory established on a false premise, will definitely collapse, when face to face with the truth comes. Having said this, Let us now look at the evidences which points to exactly when a day truly begins. Let us begin with the creation. It is stated that, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1).

According to the book of Isaiah chapter 45:18, God created the earth to be inhabited. “For thus says the Lord, who created the heavens, who is God, who formed the earth and made it, who has established it, who did not create it in vain, who formed it to be inhabited: I am the Lord and there is no other.” The Lord in revealing His omnipotence to Job said; “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements? Surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? To what were its foundations fastened? Or who laid its cornerstone, when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy? So beautiful was the earth at its original creation, all the sons of God shouted for joy, but unfortunately, this beautiful creation we are told, “Became without form and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep…”(Genesis 1:2).

The rebellion and fall of Lucifer, as recorded in the fourteenth chapter of Isaiah, and the 28th chapter of Ezekiel respectively, brought destruction to the face of the earth, which necessitated the Spirit of God to hover over the face of the waters, and renew the face of the earth, as stated in the Psalms saying; “You send forth your Spirit, they are created; and you renew the face of the earth” (Psalms 104:30).

Before God renewed the face of the earth, it was in total oblivion: Time, inclusive of seconds, minutes, and hours, days, weeks, months and years were not in existence. It was only when God renewed the face of the earth and the moment He said, “Let there be light”; and there was light, and God saw the light that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness that time came into existence. Then,  God called the light day and the darkness He called night: So the evening and the morning were the first day” (Genesis 1:3-5).

Since the evening and the morning were the first day, which one begins the day, morning or evening? God renewed the face of the earth by first forming light, and then divided the light from the darkness, and called first of all the light day, and the darkness He called night. The day therefore, preceded the night and separated the day from the darkness.

On the fourth day of creation, it is stated that God said; “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years; and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth”, and it was so. Then God made two great lights, the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also. God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth, and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. So the evening and the morning were the fourth day” (Genesis 1:14-19).

Again, which one did God form first, the sun, or the moon and stars? The sun was first formed, and then the moon and stars. It is the evening which completes the day, and so the evening and the morning [the two combined] were the fourth day. It is not because evening is first mentioned, that one should make the assumption that, the day begins in the evening. Nature and substantial evidences reveals otherwise. A day therefore, begins with the light of day, and ends with the dark of night. The sun which rules the day, is typical to, and represents Jesus Christ who, “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. “… That was the true light which gives light to every man who comes into the world (John 1: 4, 5, 9).

God has overlooked these times of ignorance, but now commanded all men everywhere to repent.

To be continued.