Third reason for the lost identity of the true church

3. The Lord has Rejected His Altar

The third reason for the church's loss of identity it is because the Lord has rejected His altar: For thus says the word of the Lord; “The Lord has destroyed His dwelling like a garden; He has destroyed His place of meeting. The Lord has made Zion (the church) forget her appointed feasts and her Sabbaths; in His fierce anger He has spurned (rejected contemptuously) both King and priest. The Lord has rejected His altar and abandoned His sanctuary. He has handed over to the enemy the walls of her palaces: they have raised a shout in the house of the Lord as on the day of an appointed feast” (Lamentations 2: 6-7). 

The Lord abandoned His sanctuary because of defilement, as it is written; “Will you steal and murder, commit adultery and perjury, burn incense to Baal and follow other gods you have not known, and then come and stand before Me in this house, which bears My name, and say, “We are safe” – safe to do all these detestable things? Has this house, which bears My name, become a den of thieves to you? But I have been watching declares the Lord.”

“Go now to the place in Shiloh where I first made a dwelling for My name, and see what I did to it because of the wickedness of My people Israel. While you were doing all these things, declares the Lord, I spoke to you again and again, but you did not listen; I called you, but you did not answer. Therefore, what I did to Shiloh I will now do to the house that bears My name, the temple you trust in, the place I gave to you and your fathers. I will trust you from My presence, just as I did all your brothers, the people of Ephraim. So do not pray for this people nor offer any plea or petition for them; do not plead with Me, for I will not listen to you” (Jermiah7:9-16).

The church is only harming itself by continuing to defile itself with all sorts of abominations, and defilements. For thus says the Lord; “They pour out drink offerings to other gods to provoke Me to anger. But am I the one they are provoking? Declares the Lord, are they not rather harming themselves, to their own shame?” (Jeremiah 7:18-19).

It is not surprising that the majority of churches have failed miserably, for thus says the Lord; “Take heed that no one deceives you, for many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray.” And, “Not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to Me, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and do many mighty works in your name? And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you evil doers.”

While Jesus was going through towns and villages teaching, someone said to Him, “Lord, will those who are saved be few? And He said to them, “Strive to enter by the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. When once the house holder has risen up and shut the door, you will begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying; ‘Lord, open for us.’ He will answer you, “I do not know where you come from.’ Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.’ But He will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you come from, all you workers of iniquity!’ (Luke 13:24-27).

A worker of iniquity is one who is unrighteous, one who is disobedient to the laws of God and the way one knows that he/she is not a worker of iniquity is by obeying the commandments of God, for he/she who says, "I know Him," and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him” (1 John 2:4). 

There is however, one thing for sure, the gates of hell will never prevail against the church of God, it is alive and well, and it can be distinguished by looking for the identifying signs which distinguishes the church of God from all other counterfeits which is the keeping of His commandments and principally, the perpetual sign of the Sabbath/s which Jesus Christ who is the same yesterday, today and forever is still and will always be the Lord of.

With brotherly love

Lucius Joseph