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Those
Who Forsake the Right Way |
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Sacred
Name / The Millennium is Here |
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It
was in March 1778, that Benjamin Franklin of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,
is reported to have written the following momentous comment: "Whoever
shall introduce into public affairs the principles of primitive
Chr-stianity will change the face of the world." It
has certainly been the firm belief of The Sacred Name Broadcaster magazine
editor that the primitive principles of scriptural Messianic, Apostolic
worship definitely should be restored to the religious scene. Few people
today share such noble aspirations; nevertheless, a restoration of the
primitive beliefs and practices of the New Testament assembly will
universally occur when Yahshua the Messiah returns. At
the time when the editor began his concentrated study of the Bible, he
came across this significant maxim: "The message of the Bible either
makes strong friends or fierce enemies." The author has experienced
the truism of this statement many times as he has taught Bible truth for
over thirty years. Few
people actually determine to live by the tenets of the sacred Scriptures,
although they occasionally give lip service to such a lifestyle. Very few
individuals will even take the time to examine the scriptural teachings
thoroughly, as did the noble Bureans of Acts 17:11; therefore, they
wrongly interpret the term "primitive Chr-stianity." In
Judah (Jude) verse 3, we are urged to contend earnestly for the faith
which was once for all delivered to the saints. Obviously, Judah, the
author, Yahshua's brother, wishes to emphasize for us that the true
evangel of salvation would never be changed. This teaching, the glad
tidings, has been established inflexibly for all time.
What was the primitive Messianic faith
like anyway? What did the Apostles teach and by what teaching did the
Apostolic Assembly of the first century live? Perhaps you have never
considered these penetrating questions or searched for their answers,
assuming only that your denomination personified the accurate, fundamental
faith.
The basic answer to these questions
can readily be ascertained from Matthew 5:17-20. "Think
not that I came to destroy the law or the prophets: I came not to destroy,
but to fulfill. For truly I say to you, Till heaven and earth pass away,
one yothe or one tittle shall in no wise pass away from the law, till all
things be accomplished. Whoever therefore shall break one of these least
commandments, and shall teach men so, shall be called least in the kingdom
of heaven: but whoever shall do and teach them, he shall be called great
in the kingdom of heaven. For I say to you, that except your righteousness
shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall in
no wise enter into the kingdom of heaven." Yahshua the Messiah taught strict
obedience to the sacred Scriptures. The Apostolic Assembly followed in His
footsteps. Paul in Romans 3:31 asked the question,"Do we
then make the Law of no effect through faith! By no means: no, we
establish the Law." Why then do ministers and religious
organizations teach that the scriptural law has been set aside or annulled
when the Messiah died, when the Messiah Himself taught precisely the
converse? It seems that ch-rchianity has established its own agenda and
has developed its unique theology, outside the authority of the sacred
texts. Mrs. Meyer and I were studying through
the book of Revelation during the summer of 1961 when we encountered the
dogmatic comments found in Revelation 12:17 and 14:12. Certainly these
verses cannot be easily misunderstood. How were we to perceive them? The
commandments of Yahweh are inviolable and sacred. They continue in force
just as they were in Biblical times. In the end of the age, a people
existing at that time will be keeping the commandments of Yahweh while
maintaining and holding fast the faith of Yahshua the Messiah, explains
the Apostle John. Who are these people? Remember that the keeping of the
commandments of Yahweh demands that all of the commandments are observed,
beginning with the first one that relates to the Name of Yahweh. See
Exodus 20:2. If Bible prophecy is and to be trusted, a group of people
fulfilling this description will be evident in the last days. They will be
keeping the commandments of Yahweh while maintaining a firm belief in the
sacrifice of the Messiah to atone for our sins (thereby fulfilling the
scriptural sacrificial commandments). Who are they? Then Judah (Jude) sets forth a warning in verse 4, "For
there are certain men who sneaked in secretly, even they who were of old
written of beforehand to this condemnation, lawless men, turning the grace
of our Elohim into lasciviousness and denying our only Master and
Sovereign, Yahshua the Messiah." Certain false teachers evidently stealthily gained
entrance into the assembly during the apostolic era. They were lawless
people who turned the grace of Yahweh into lasciviousness. In the English
text, the term "lasciviousness" is translated from the Greek
word aselgeia (#766 in Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible) and
it means "licentiousness" (license to do as you please). Yahshua, the Messiah Himself, taught against
licentiousness or lasciviousness. Turn to Mark 7 where He explained in
verses 20 to 23, "And he said, That which proceeds out of
the man, that defiles the man. For from within, out of the heart of men,
evil thoughts proceed, fornication, thefts, murders, adulteries, covetings,
wickednesses, deceit, LASCIVIOUSNESS, an evil eye, railing, pride,
foolishness: all these evil things proceed from inside, and defile the
man." In verse 22, we find the word lasciviousness
(meaning licentiousness, license to do as you please), and Yahshua
declares such conduct to be a great evil. Yahshua the Messiah never
approved a doctrine of license, but He included such conduct as evidence
of a defilement of the heart of the evil man. Grace represents the mercy and lovingkindness of
Yahweh in forgiving the sins of His people. In the Greek dictionary of
Strongs Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible; the term is #5485, charis,
graciousness, "the sublime influence upon the heart, and its
reflection in the life . . . " However, Yahshua has forgiven sins,
and we may no longer return to an evil life. "What shall we
say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound ? By no means.
We who died to sin, how shall we any longer live in it?" (Romans
6:1-2) Peter explains, "For if, after they
have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of the
Master and Savior Yahshua the Messiah, they are again entangled in it and
overcome, the last state has become worse with them than the first. For it
were better for them not to have known the way of righteousness than,
after knowing it, to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to
them. It has happened to them according to the true proverb, The dog
returns to his own vomit again, and the sow that had washed, to wallowing
in the mire. " (2 Peter 2:20-22) Why should anyone
become interested in the Bible and True Worship, and then later backslide
again, falling away into unscriptural conduct? Were they ever sincere in
the first place? Furthermore, we read in Hebrews 6:4-8,"For
as touching those who were once enlightened and tasted of the heavenly
gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and tasted the good word
of Yahweh, and the powers of the age to come, and then fell away, it is
impossible to renew them again to repentance; since they impale to
themselves the Son of Yahweh again, and put him to an open shame. For the
land which has drunk the rain that comes often upon it, and brings forth
herbs useful for them for whose sake it is also tilled, receives blessings
from Yahweh: but if it bears thorns and thistles, it is rejected and near
to a curse; whose end is to be burned." Certainly this
warning by the author of the book of Hebrews is quite clear -- the one who
departs from the faith must expect to be thrown into the lake of fire! Judah continues to expound upon the thought of
falling away from the faith and returning to a life of self indulgence
(self gratification) by referring to the incident of the golden calf
worship in Exodus 32. Having saved His people Israel out of Egypt, Yahweh
afterwards destroyed them that believed not, since 40 days after the Feast
of Weeks (Pentecost) when Israel had ratified the covenant, they held a
licentious, idolatrous service. The title of this article was taken from 2 Peter
2:15. " FORSAKING THE RIGHT WAY, they went astray, having
followed the way of Balaam son of Beor, who loved the hire of
wrongdoing." Who would fall away from the true faith,
except religious hobbyists? Is it not true that many religious organizations
only appear interested in acquiring wealth, like Balaam the son of Beor in
Numbers 22? Balak, king of the Moabites, offered Balaam great wealth if he
would only prophesy against (curse) the nation of Israel. When Balaam
sought a way to justify accompanying Balak the king of Moab to curse
Israel, Yahweh said, ". . . You shall not go with them;
YOU SHALL NOT CURSE THE PEOPLE; FOR THEY ARE BLESSED." (Numbers
22:12) The name Balaam means "not of the people,"
a foreigner. See the Hebrew dictionary in Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
of the Bible, #1109. (# 1110, #1111, Balak means "waster.") This
description became obvious and was fulfilled when Almighty Yahweh sent His
angel to withstand Balaam and keep him from cursing Israel (the people who
were obedient to Him and consequently should be blessed). Finally,
Balaam's ass was given voice and intelligence to speak a warning, wherein
Almighty Yahweh impressed upon Balaam that He could not curse Israel or go
beyond what He had spoken. Later, in Numbers 31:8, we find that Balaam was
slain by Israel in the war of retribution to avenge the difficulties that
Midian had brought upon Israel through enticing them to sin. See Numbers
25. Balaam is again mentioned near the end of the Bible in the book of
Revelation. "Forsaking the right way, they went astray,
having followed the way of Balaam son of Beor, who loved the hire of
wrongdoing; but he was rebuked for his own transgression a dumb ass spoke
with man's voice and restrained the madness of the prophet." (2
Peter 2:15-16) We also see that Balaam is mentioned as the false prophet
who taught Balak to cast a stumbling block before the children of Israel,
getting them to sin and eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit
fornication (Revelation 3:14).
The ministry of the Assemblies of Yahweh was founded
exclusively upon Bible truth. See John 17:17. We teach the whole counsel
of Yahweh (Acts 20:27). It has been the intention of the editor to search
deeply into the inspired, sacred texts to determine what Almighty Yahweh
demands of us to obtain our eternal salvation. Whatever is to be found in
the Scriptures and absolutely proven from the Word is genuine doctrine in
this organization. In my youth, my parents taught me to revere the sacred
Scriptures (the Bible) as the true Word of the Almighty. Later the
veracity of the Bible manifested itself through a deep study of the sacred
Scriptures. Therefore, I made up my mind that I would never swerve from
the truth of the written Word to defend error. Errors in teaching and errors in judgment have been
made over the centuries since Apostolic times by numerous people who have
been involved in the field of religion. Some of these errors are made
intentionally, while others took root through ignorance. Generally, when
statements are uttered and decisions are made, people cannot step back at
some point and determine to chart a different course (if proven to be in
error). Almost since the very beginning of the Assemblies of
Yahweh ministry, there have been people who entered the organization, and
later for one reason or another, became dissatisfied with the strictness
which we teach and practice. Soon they decided to go in a different
direction. They liberalized their principles and they made decisions that
were contrary to Bible teachings. Some searched around for diverse
doctrines to use as a crutch to justify their departure from the
organization. Usually we discovered there were more deeply rooted problems
that these individuals harbored in their hearts which they were unable to
(or did not intend to) solve for themselves so they could remain obedient
to the Word. Therefore, they felt more comfortable outside this fraternal
body. Several years ago the author was speaking to a local
businessman who commented that he was surprised that I would be involved
with criminals. Incredulously, I demanded to know what he meant. He said
he had seen a newspaper report that an individual who used the Name Yahweh
had been sentenced to a prison term for racketeering. I requested to see
this newspaper article. Several days later, when I again stopped at his
establishment he had the article available. After skimming the article, I
immediately explained what I had learned of the background of that
individual and affirmed that the Assemblies of Yahweh had ABSOLUTELY NO
FELLOWSHIP with people of such dubious reputation. Actually, the
Assemblies of Yahweh has borne "guilt by association" far too
many times since the inception of this ministry since people generally
group into one category those who use the Sacred Name. Time and time again it seems that people go off the
track and they make dubious decisions. We all recall the recent Waco
situation, wherein a former Seventh Day Adventist decided he was the
Messiah (or the Holy Spirit); that he was going to fight against the
United States government in an armed rebellion and take over the
governments of the world before the Messiah returns. Of course, such ideas
are gross false doctrine, and the proof of his evil fruits (and deeds) led
to the deaths of 80 people and the destruction of his compound. Interestingly, the Assemblies of Yahweh organization
here at Bethel had received some communication from the previous
administrators of Mount Carmel. However, we could not agree with them (nor
cooperate), for a number of different reasons. One of the false doctrines
they espoused at that time was that the spirit of Almighty Yahweh is a
"feminine" spirit. The apparent reason for this doctrine being
promulgated was that the wife of their leader had decided she would become
the prophetess, like the founder of the Seventh Day Adventist religion;
and therefore, she had to justify her position.) As we recall individuals who came into the
Assemblies and later departed, another incident stands out in our mind.
One family once decided they needed to be the watchmen over the author.
Never understanding that the author is himself the watchman to the
Assemblies of Yahweh and modern-day Israel, in a short time, they demanded
of the author that he begin teaching that the world was already one year
into the great Tribulation! This incident occurred in 1981! Where do you
think the Assemblies of Yahweh would be today if the author had accepted
such reprehensible false doctrine? Undoubtedly only a handful of people
would have remained. Boldly the author has had to stand against false
teachings on a number of occasions over the past 31 years. Periodically, as we indicated above, various
individuals or groups who harbor false doctrines arise, using the Sacred
Name, and through guilt by association, people imagine that all Sacred
Name believers comprise one association. Such was the case recently when
an individual went off the track doctrinally and cast aspersions upon the
TRUE WORSHIP. Teaching polygamy, that Satan is a female, and other
fallacious ideas, he made several national media expose programs. Once
again, the Assemblies of Yahweh organization suffered through no fault of
our own. Therein lies one of the reasons for this article, and our
endeavor to set the record straight! Such incidents are prophesied in the Scriptures to
occur in the last days. Turn to Jacob (James) chapter 3 where people are
warned against seeking to be preachers or teachers inasmuch as the
leadership will receive the heavier judgment. Peter describes the appearance of false prophets and
false teachers at the end of the age in the second chapter of his second
epistle. "But there arose false prophets also among the
people, as among you there shall be false teachers, who shall privately
bring in destructive heresies, DENYING EVEN THE MASTER THAT BOUGHT THEM,
bringing upon themselves swift destruction. And MANY shall follow their
LASCIVIOUS doings; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be EVIL SPOKEN
OF. And in covetousness they shall with feigned words make merchandise of
you: whose sentence now from of old lingers not, and their destruction
slumbers not." (2 Peter 2:1-3) The Assemblies of Yahweh has been founded upon the
concept of giving. We offer free subscriptions to The Sacred Name
Broadcaster magazine. We offer all our reprint literature of doctrinal
teaching free of charge. We make available the truth of Yahweh without
cost or obligation, just as Yahshua the Messiah instructed His disciples
in Matthew 10:8 to freely give as we have freely received from Yahweh the
gift of eternal life. See John 3:16. How could any true representative of the Messiah
stand for false doctrine such as polygamy or avarice? How could it be that
any one would follow such false doctrines taught by charlatans and
pseudo-ministers, when Yahweh's truth is freely avail-able in the
Assemblies of Yahweh? The sincere regret in the heart of the author is
that so few people wish to remain stable and steadfast in the faith, while
so many allow themselves to be deceived. Peter, the Apostle, and Judah, the Messiah's own
brother, in their warnings to the assembly regarding the end of the age,
make absolutely plain that Yahweh is in control. When He sends His only
begotten Son back to this earth to reign over this entire earth and to
judge the world in righteousness, then the true faith will be upheld.
Judgment will befall those who have forsaken the right way. Justice will
eventually prevail! "And he says to me, Seal not up the words of
the prophecy of this book; for the time is at hand. He that is
unrighteous, let him do unrighteousness still: and he that is filthy, let
him be made filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him do
righteousness still: and he that is holy, let him be made holy still.
Behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to render to each man
according as his work is. I am the Aleph and the Tau, the first and the
last, the beginning and the end. Blessed are they that do his
commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter
in by the gates into the city. Outside are the dogs, and the sorcerers,
and the fornicators, and the murderers, and the idolaters, and everyone
that loves and makes a lie." (Revelation
22:10-15) The writer of Hebrews candidly explains that when
Yahshua returns and judges this evil, Babylonish world, it will be a
fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living Elohim. "For
if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth,
there remains no more a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful
expectation of judgment, and a fierceness of fire which shall devour the
adversaries. A man that has violated Moses' law dies with-out compassion
on the word of two or three witnesses: of how much more severe punishment,
think you, shall he be judged worthy, who has trodden underfoot the Son of
Yahweh, and has counted the blood of the covenant with which he was
sanctified an unholy thing, and has done despite to the Spirit of grace,
For we know him that said, Vengeance belongs to me, I will repay. And
again, Yahweh shall judge his people. It is a fearful thing to fall into
the hands of the living Elohim. "But call to remembrance the former
days, in which, after you were enlightened, you endured a great conflict
of sufferings; partly, being made a gazing stock both by reproaches and
afflictions; and partly, becoming par- takers with them that were so used.
For you both had compassion on them that were in bonds, and took joyfully
the spoiling of your possessions, knowing that you have for yourselves a
better possession and an enduring one. Cast not away therefore your
boldness, which has great recompense of reward. For you have need of
patience, that, having done the will of Yahweh, you may receive the
promise. "For yet a very little while, he that comes
shall come, and shall not delay. But my righteous one shall live by faith:
and if he shrink back, my soul has no pleasure in him. But we are not of
them that shrink back to perdition; but to them that have faith to the
saving of the soul." (Hebrews
10:26-39)
<|>Dear reader, when you hear of different
Sacred Name groups, especially those who do not stand for a high level of
morality, do not lump us with them! Do not judge us guilty simply by a few
doctrinal similarities. Communicate with the International Headquarters of
the Assemblies of Yahweh, here at Bethel, Pennsylvania. Ask us to explain
the sound doctrines of the Bible. "For the time will come
when they will not endure the sound doctrine; but, having itching ears,
will heap to themselves teachers after their own lusts; and will turn away
their ears from the truth, and turn aside to fables." (2
Timothy 4:3-4) Hobbyists who make a game out of religion come and go over
the years, but those who are deter-mined to live by every Word of
Scripture remain steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of
Yahweh. We are following the urging of Yahweh, recorded in
Jeremiah 6:16-19. "In this manner says Yahweh, stand in
the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way and
walk in it, and you shall find rest for your souls: but they said, We will
not walk in it. And I set watchmen over you, saying, Listen to the sound
of the trumpet; but they said, We will not listen. Therefore hear, you
nations, and know, O congregation, what is among them. Hear, O earth:
behold, I will bring evil upon this people, even the fruit of their
thoughts, because they have not listened to my words; and as for my law,
they have rejected it." Remember that the majority of these dissident people
originally learned sound doctrine from the Assemblies of Yahweh but they
intentionally departed from the faith and the truth of the sacred
Scriptures to follow their own personal agenda. Conversely, the Assemblies
of Yahweh organization is committed to maintaining a high moral standard,
SEEKING FIRST THE KINGDOM OF YAHWEH (Matthew 6:33). Why not check out our fruits and compare the
Assemblies of Yahweh doctrines with what the Bible teaches? We believe you
will not be disappointed. The Sacred Name Broadcaster, 8/1997 Sacred
Name / The Millennium is Here |
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