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f the gates of hell have never prevailed against the Church (ekklesia),
then God has continually had a constituency on earth. As history shows, this
group has been mostly out of sight, and references or information about them
has come through history via their persecutors/enemies.
This group is called “a holy
nation” though they are sprinkled through various parts of earth, as salt is
sprinkled on a plate of food. They are
called “a spiritual house” and “a holy priesthood.” They are called “sojourners.”
They are called “strangers” and “pilgrims.” They are called “ambassadors” and “soldiers,” but their “weapons
of . . . warfare are NOT carnal.” They
don’t carry swords, daggers, bayonets, rifles, or such. But their weapons are “mighty through God.”
They are a people that
followed the footsteps of Jesus Christ.
And they are willing to practice to the best of their ability the
nonviolent actions and teaching of Christ.
To jump to the crux of it, we read the instructions to THIS group, the
elect, the called out, the saints: “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall
love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies
bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those
who spitefully use you and persecute you,” Matthew 5:43-44. And
“Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for
it is written, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay’ says the Lord. . . . Do not be
overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good,” Romans 12:19, 21.
There was a time when this was preached and practiced (as best as imperfect humans can) in the Church of God. Now it seems that the Quakers, Mennonites and Amish are more faithful to these teachings of Jesus than the elect (or is it the “has been” elect?).
In the Church now the loud
ones want to elect politicians, serve on juries, serve in the military, and
sink themselves nostrils deep into the Babylonish system. This system and all the nations
belong to Satan in this age, Matthew 4:8-10. The true saints are sojourners here and not partakers of Satan’s
system.
Does God influence or direct
leaders in that system? YES! Nebuchadnezzer was the #1 representative of
the Babylonish system and YHVH called him “My servant” which can also be stated
as “My minister,” Jeremiah 25:9.
Cyrus was another one that God used in Satan’s system. Yes, even Pilate received “power” from God, John
19:11. In this Babylonish group, God has authorities that are appointed by
God. These have nothing to do with the ekklesia.
They are God’s ministers, yet ignorant of God’s commandments and the testimony
of Jesus Christ.
To further elucidate, here
are a few quotes from a book by Isaac D. Martin, titled, The Christian and the World.
“Although the Bible calls rulers
the ministers of God, the government is an administration with a calling
completely different from that of the church . . . . The principles
that governed the unsaved are different form those used among Christians.” Here he uses “unsaved” for what I refer to
as the “not called” or the “non-elect,” and “Christian” for what I refer to as
the “elect.” The elect DOES NOT include
the Christians of this world’s religions.
Mr. Martin tells of the 1960
election when Nixon and Kennedy ran for president. Some thought that the Pope would exert his power through a
Catholic president. He writes: “Some
Mennonites and Amish who previously had not voted began thinking that it was
their duty to vote because to them, a Catholic president was unthinkable. Many of them went to the polls and voted,
but John F. Kennedy was elected anyway.
Someone aptly asked, ‘Did God lose that election?’ Obviously He did not. God will have His way in the affairs of
nations, and He does not need the frenzied campaigning efforts of His
followers.” He continues, “But a strong Christian brotherhood,
witnessing to the truth in a community or in a county, will do much more than a
few votes would.” And adds, “The
Christian can safely put this matter in the hand of the Lord and pray, ‘Thy
will be done!’ God can very easily look
after any political repercussions we might fear.”
He refers to Matthew 5, 6
and 7 and writes “Christ gave these principles to govern the life of the
Christian; they were not given for the civil government of the ungodly. It is unjust for religious people to insist
that government authorities abide by these rules.”
(In The Christian and the World, he addresses how the elect should
interface with education, security, technology, religion, politics, litigation,
fashion, money and ecology. It is good
information.)
The saints have been called
OUT! “Come out of her (Babylon) My
people . . . .” They are pilgrims,
sojourners, and strangers on this earth — in this age. They “seek a homeland . . . they desire
a better . . . country,” Hebrews 11:14, 16. They know that “friendship with the world is enmity with God,” James
4:4. To the saints “God has made
foolish the wisdom of this world,” I Corinthians 1:20. This world is the Babylonish system of this
age. Many of the loud teachers advocate
becoming embroiled in the worldly system.
Run for a political office, chastise the President in a letter, make a
judgment on a human life. This is not
the calling of the elect.
Jesus (the example of the
elect) would not get involved in making judgments in this world’s system, Luke
12:13-14. Paul (who tells us to
imitate him AS he imitates Christ) plainly wrote “For what have I to do with
judging those also who are outside (the Church, i.e., in the world)? . . . But
those who are outside God judges,” I Corinthians 5:12-13. Is our God so helpless that He can’t do it
without our help? Did He not say,
“Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord. . . . The Lord will fight for
you, and you shall hold your peace,” Exodus 14:13-14.
A teacher among the Churches of God has written: “Can a Christian take up arms against another person or even against another nation? Surely not. And yet, if we take that reply to its logical conclusion, it would mean that no Christian could ever be a police officer.”
This teacher thinks a
Christian can be a police officer, but it is not so. A called out servant cannot be a policeman for he must live
(among other principles) by Matthew 5, 6 and 7. This teacher writes (from the premise he put
forth and disagrees with), “no Christian could ever serve on a jury for a
capital crime.” This is true. Only those not of our calling should serve
on juries.
On the same theme he
continues, “We (meaning the elect) could not even serve on a jury that would
send a man to jail.” And we will affirm
this with the word of the apostle Paul. “For what have I to do with judging
those who are outside [the Church]?” I Corinthians 5:12.
And the teacher goes on to
write (the view he supports): “Thousands of Christians serve in both law
enforcement and the military with a clear conscience.” To this I can only say that they are not of
the called out elect. The elect must follow the steps of Jesus, Who
never carried a weapon, never resisted evil, and Who overcame evil with good.
Then he writes, “But there
is a common assumption that God’s expectations of Christians is different from
His expectations of godly men and woman in the Old Testament.” This is true and we will let the Word of God
answer.
“You have heard that it was
said to those of old [i.e., in the Old Testament], ‘You shall not murder, and
whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’ But I say to you [here’s
the different expectation] that whoever is angry with his brother without a
cause shall be in danger of the judgment,” Matthew 5:21-22. “You have heard that it was said to those of
old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’
But I say to you (a different expectation) that whoever looks at a woman
to lust for her has already committed adultery in his heart,” Verses 27-28.
“Again you have heard that
it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform
your oaths to the Lord.’ But I say to you [a different expectation], do not
swear at all,” verse 32.
Are the elect supposed to
practice pure religion? “Pure and
undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit the orphans and
widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world [the Babylonish
system],” James 1:27. The ways
of the world are very enticing, but we need to keep away from their influence, I
John 2:15-17. The things of the
world can ensnare the elect and cause them to become spiritually
unfruitful. “Now he who received seed
among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world . . .
choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful,” Matthew 13:20.
On our jobs or our business
we are exposed to the worldly ways, which we must resist and not let such ways
come into our assemblies. “I wrote to
you in my epistle not to keep company with sexually immoral people. Yet I certainly did not mean with the
sexually immoral people of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners,
or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world,” I
Corinthians 5:9.
The elect are not of this world. They need to keep away from the Babylonish system that requires them to compromise their (Biblical) standards. We are not here to set up governments or participate in the world governments. The elect believe Jesus when He said, “My kingdom is not of this world.” Kathleen McCann wrote an article titled “Christians Confused About Armed Force.” She correctly states, concerning Satan’s offer to Jesus to rule the world (at that time), “Why didn’t He accept Satan’s offer? It was because He knew that, if you try to solve the world’s problems in this age, you will have to do so using Satan’s methods.” For this reason we don’t get involved with this world.
Jesus prayed for us, “I have
given them Your word; and the world has hated them, because they are not of the
world, just as I am not of the world. I do not pray that You should take them
out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not
of the world,” John 17:14-16.
Yes, we are misfits in this world.
We, the saints have precious
knowledge. The Feasts/Holy Days have
taught us that God is not setting His hand to save the world now. This is very comforting! If He was, then Satan would surely be
winning the struggle. We, of all
people, should be in the forefront of coming OUT of the Babylonish system like
the primitive brethren did almost 2,000 years ago.
Please test all that I have
written here against the Scriptures.
You, the elect, have two witnesses and they must agree: (1) the Holy
Spirit, and (2) the Holy Scriptures.
Put all you hear and read to the test, and believe the truth.
The reason false teachers
can continue teaching is because they have an audience and (generally) have
financial support. We are under no
obligation to hear them or support them.
May the Word of God clean His elect in preparation for the return of Messiah. Let’s heed, “come out of her My people.”
— by Peter A. Huizar Ω